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Safety Committee


Emergency Preparedness

posted Jan 6, 2017, 9:29 AM by Rebekah Folsom   [ updated Jan 6, 2017, 9:39 AM ]

How long did it take everyone in your family to get home in the December snowstorm?

The recent snowstorm resulted in abandoned cars and hours of travel for many to get home. It's a good reminder to increase preparedness for your family!

Where were you today at 10am? 2pm?

If a major earthquake happened at those times, you could not drive, and public transportation was down, how long would it have taken you to get back to the school to pick up your child(ren)?

How long would it have taken you to walk from school to home?

Would you have basic supplies such as water, food, warmth, light on hand?

The PTSA Safety Committee and Winterhaven School has partnered to do their best to stockpile supplies for survival needs: first aid, water, food*, shelter and sanitation for students for at least 24 hours. Have you prepared? Ideally, you have a basic emergency travel pack in your car(s), workplace, or home (or all three!). Now that we are through the holidays, please take a little time to think about your needs and plan for your family. 

In the school information packet at the beginning of the year, there was a family emergency planning form to help you think through a family plan.  Are your supplies ready too?

*NOTE: emergency food at school contains no nuts. If your child has a food allergy that is life threatening or creates severe health consequences, and you want to talk about your child’s food needs in an emergency, please contact  the Safety Committee chair, Amy Rees at kateamy@comcast.net.  

Family Earthquake Plan

posted Jan 6, 2017, 9:27 AM by Rebekah Folsom   [ updated Jan 6, 2017, 9:44 AM ]

Living in an Earthquake Zone:
Info from Winterhaven PTSA Safety Committee

Family Earthquake Plan: 
Keep at home, this is NOT an official PPS form
you must still fill out the Emergency Dismissal Form
and turn it in to the school

Why do I need this?  See: 
 
For full information see Portland Bureau of Emergency Management
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/pbem/54418

Use this form to create your family plan, make sure all adults responsible for pick up have a copy
and that the people listed are on the official school Emergency Dismissal Form (peach paper):
only people on that list will be able to pick up your child

In case of an earthquake and YOU ARE UNABLE to pick up your student(s), and COMMUNICATIONS are down – no cell phones, no land lines – what is your family’s plan for having someone pick up your student(s) from school? Your backup people to pick up should be relatively close to the school during the day whenever possible. 

NOTE: A printable copy of this form is attached at the bottom of this webpage.

Questions to ask: (See example plans on this form.)
  • Who will pick up my child(ren)?
  • Under what circumstances will someone else pick up my child(ren) without communication from me?
  • Where will they go after pick up?

Student name(s):



Person(s) who will/may pick up my child(ren): 




Above individual(s) will come to school to get my child(ren) automatically, without contact from me, if the following occurs:




Where they will go after pick up: 


Examples:  (All assume a major earthquake and no communication method)
If an earthquake happens and communication is down, my children’s grandparents will go to the school to pick them up and take them back to our home if possible or the grandparents home if necessary.  

Another parent and I at the school have an agreement to both go to the school as quickly as possible, and will pick up each other’s child(ren) if we are not there within 2 hours of the disaster. They will go to xx’s home.  

My middle school child is to be released to go home, the child knows to try going home first, and then to go to xx’s house or return to school if they can’t reach our house or if it is not safe. My child will leave me a note at home to say where they have gone if they had to leave. The adult who will check on my child at home is…..  

Our family plan is for both parents to go to the school as soon as possible and wait there for the other parent. If they other parent has not arrive after 30 minutes , we will go home or to another safe location. Our other locations for meeting are x , y, z.   Our neighbor, sue smith, will also go to the school and will pick up our child(ren) if we are not home within 1 hour.  

We have an agreement between 3 parents at the school and each family has a copy of this plan. Whoever arrives first will take everyone’s children home with them to their home at XYZ (nearby location). If their home is not safe they will first try to go to xx’s home, then xx’s home. Final location is the city’s emergency beacon location xyz.  


Keys to strong plans:
  • Does not rely on telephone or other contact – an earthquake triggers action on the part of the folks in the plan. 
  • Plans where to go after leaving the school to meet other family members, offers alternate location if first location unsafe or unreachable.
  • Relies on people to pick up children who are on the east side of the river if available.  River crossing may be unavailable (although we all hope the two new bridges will hold!)
  • Locations where families agree to go, or to meet, also contain supplies needed for survival (water, food, alternate shelter, sanitation).  

| Attachments: Family Earthquake Plan - Winter.pdf

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