In the 21st Century, every school is obligated to have an Emergency Operations Plan that anticipates all range of crises: intruders, chemical spills, natural disasters, etc. These are complicated documents that hinge on multiple contingencies and are crafted in cooperation with local and state agencies. My involvement with Proctor's EOP is communications.



The anticipated approach of Hurricane Sandy prompted activation of our emergency plan days in advance. No one would ever wish such a devastating storm to befall land, yet--from a distance of hundreds of miles--the event provided invaluable experience to our Emergency Operations team. Normally, schools have to role-play crisis situations, so that highly diverse circumstances and responses can be considered. By Monday morning, however, we were monitoring official state emergency management bulletins and activating real-life systems. Fortunately, the information we received enabled most school operations to proceed normally.




Emergency operations require a subtle--yet very real--shift from normal school administration. Proctor is a school that typically encourages lots of process: we discuss, listen, debate, and sometimes vote. During crisis management, however, a clear, hierarchic mode is necessary for several reasons. It is efficient. It also places one person--in our case the Head of School--responsible for final decisions. After huddling with his assistants Anne Swayze and Drew Donaldson, Mike Henriques was ready to announce several steps.



Day students were released to go home after morning classes. Afternoon activities could proceed at the discretion of coaches/leaders. Tuesday morning's start would be delayed one hour to enable commuting students to assess the situation and get to campus safely. 




At noon, Governor Lynch declared a state of emergency and called for cars to be off road starting at 3:00 PM, a decision that had obvious impact on afternoon activities. 



The Emergency Operations team huddled over lunch to share latest information and consider a spontaneous all-parent email bulletin conveying latest information as well as decisions shared earlier in assembly. This is not a time for delegating; Mike has to sign-off on the wording. Below, Patrick and Connor check out clothing supplies in the Store.
 

Another all-parent communication later in the evening utilized AlertNow technology. With AlertNow, we can spontaneously telephone, email and text message any constituency group at the same time. The evening message assured parents (all over the nation and the world!) that students were safe and maintaining a business-as-usual attitude despite scattered power outages on campus. 



Today, we've seen fleeting patches of blue sky, fast-moving cumulus clouds (out of the southeast,) and occasional downpours. It has been mild, but cooler weather is approaching with continued unsettled conditions. A storm with the lowest barometric pressure ever recorded north of Cape Hatteras has caused unthinkable hardship to our south. Here in Andover, New Hampshire, it enabled a community to exercise emergency systems, learn by the experience, and--ultimately--count our blessings.