A typical hurricane emergency became a real time experience for 50 students at Miami-Dade’s Emergency Center in Doral.
As Hurricane computer images of Category 3 Hurricane Carlos got closer to South Florida’s coast, ‘Mayor’ Maya Marrero barked orders as Shenandoah Middle School students prepared for the worst.
Her responsibility coordinated Emergency Support functions (ESF in emergency management parlance) in firefighting, transportation, law enforcement, search and rescue, medical assistance, hazardous materials, animal services and mass care, tend to the injured and ensure that the dispossessed were properly relocated, safe from the approaching storm.
“Put the fire out first,” ordered Marrero to Sara Baquedano, firefighters team leader. “Start removing the people,” she directed Transportation team leader Yaslynn Perez, all beginning a hands-on training session for sixth grade Weather Ranger studeents who spent a morning at the Emergency Operations Center on Oct. 21, participating in a preparedness exercise sponsored by F.Weather Rangers, dedicated middle and high school students responsible for teaching classmates and the community about the importance of disaster preparedness and community volunteerism during severe weather or earthquakes.
StormZone, a school-based multidisciplinary science and social studies education program, teaches the science of severe natural hazards: hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and flash floods, severe winter weather.
To learn more about StormZone and how to organize a Weather Rangers program, visit www.stormzone.us.
