The snowpocalypse happened, and we were all under-prepared. Here are some suggestions for supplies you should put in your classroom in case of emergency. I know I'm running out as soon as the roads clear to stock up!
The past thirty-six hours have been chaos in the south east. Birmingham and the surrounding suburbs were shut down yesterday late morning due to a seemingly minor snow storm. The storm, which began during the early hours of the work day, was forecasted as much less. James Spann, the most-trusted voice in local meteorology, said it wouldn't stick. Boy, was he wrong! At least 13 people are dead after a storm and resulting gridlock that paralyzed all roads for a period of time that would make Chris Christie say, "Pfft, see, what my staff did was nothing."What was I doing? Spending my second week as a contract teacher in a school outside Birmingham camped on the floor of my new classroom with a group of teenage girls. All roads leading to and from the school were packed with abandoned cars and wrecks. Someone went into the Cahaba River. Nobody was getting home, and we made the best of it. (Why the South Fell Apart...)
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| From Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/spann |
My principal did a great job organizing food and sleeping arrangements. When I finally left at 2p the next day, most of my charges had been picked-up by parents, but there were still at least 70 girls (and the boys were sequestered on the other side of the school with a locked fence between the genders to avoid shenanigans.) Our school even made NPR news this morning!
I was a girl scout, and I was always taught to be prepared. That's why there were two blankets in my car last night, which I used to roll myself up like a burrito so I could sleep in front of the door and worm my way out into the hall to supervise any late-night bathroom trips. Still, I was in a brand-new classroom, more worried about posters and paper trays than emergencies, and I could have had a few more things. Here is my list:
1. A Warm Blanket
Put a warm blanket in your closet so you have something to cover yourself with, should you have to camp overnight. Many schools put the heat on a timer, meaning an unexpected overnight stay on the floor can be very, very cold. Add a tiny pillow while you're at it!2. Bottled Water
My school had a dedicated cafeteria staff and we didn't go hungry, but it's always good to have water in case stays are extended.3. A First Aid Kit
Be safe and have basics in your classroom always. Bandages and gauze are the bare minimums.4. A Toothbrush and Toothpaste
A night on your floor will leave a bad taste in your mouth.5. Dry Shampoo
You may not be able to access a shower when trapped in your school, but a can of dry shampoo (a spray-in powder) will leave you feeling less greasy and a bit more human.6. Deoderant
Once again, make yourself feel a bit more clean with some spare deodorant. If you think you might get trapped with a bunch of funky-smelling teenagers, you could go the extra step and make it spray deodorant (so you can share.)7. Undergarments
You don't have to go the full-step of keeping an entire change of clothes in your closet, but perhaps keeping some clean undergarments in a gallon zip-lock bag tucked away somewhere is a good idea. Some students north of 459 here might be stuck more than one night, and I'm sure those teachers don't want to go on a third day with the same underwear.8. Power Bars
If your cafeteria has meals, they probably won't be big, hearty ones. Have some high-protein snacks in your closet that will get you through the breaks between meals. As the adult in-charge, you don't need the distraction of hunger.9. Board Games
We had power (and Netflix), but sometimes emergencies take out utilities, and you can only watch so much TV before you want to do something social. Have some bored games in your closet for emergencies, even if it's just Bananagrams.10. Phone Chargers
Phones die pretty quickly when you're constantly texting and checking Twitter for updates on your emergency. Keep a spare wall-charger in your classroom so you're not cut off from important communications when the battery dies.It may be a decade before north Alabama sees another emergency on this scale, but I know that when it happens, I will be ready. Be prepared and you won't regret it, just like I didn't regret being that weird northerner with the quilt in her car when it came time to sleep on a floor with no heat.
