LM May 2023

Recovery ... cont’d.

the district provide transportation even to students living in town, i.e. within 1.5 miles? • Should the district excuse students from school for a period of time after school resumes, recognizing some are needed at their homes? • Is it appropriate to allow the student body to assist the community clean-up efforts? • Is someone continuing to update the list of damaged items for insurance purposes as well as hours worked by school personnel? • Can the district help with fundraising or collection of household goods at the school? • Has someone scheduled contractors to address any facilities needs due to damage? Depending on the locality and severity of the worst damage, recovery for a school district will quickly include considering answers to the following questions: • Should the district waive lunch fees for affected families? If so, how long does that last? • Are there going to be residency issues? Are neighboring districts understanding of the situation? • Has the school board amended the school calendar? • Can the district resume practices? • Can the district resume games and activities, or would it be inappropriate to conduct activities in light of the situation? During this time, once school district needs are being appropriately addressed, district leaders can consider the extent they can offer community assistance. When homeowners and business owners begin to discover the amount of red tape associated with rebuilding efforts, local leaders from all community entities can work together to ease the transition to rebuilding. Step 4—Recovery 1 Week to 3 Months 4

• Is social media available? • Have regular community meetings been scheduled in order to communicate with the general public? Remember, many affected homeowners have no contact with the outside world via the media and are generally overwhelmed with addressing their own needs. • When, or if, can school be resumed, what activities need to be cancelled and for how long? How will cancellations be communicated?

Step 3—Changing Mood Day 3 to Day 7

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During the first 48 hours, people are incredibly busy assisting each other, and there is generally a feeling of esprit de corps. Donations pour in from the outside, and many stories of heroism and self-sacrifice emerge. Unfortunately, the mood begins to change as homeowners are barred from their homes out of concern for safety, curfews are enforced, and the emotional high begins to wear off. Homeowners are turned away and, in some instances, not even allowed to re-enter their dwellings. The mood shifts to a negative tone as people realize the severity and magnitude of the situation. Unless the school has taken a direct hit, leaders can formulate a plan to resume school in an effort to regain some amount of normalcy: • Have arrangements been made for counselors to be available for students traumatized by the event? • Can district employees make it to work? • Are buses able to run routes, or do routes need to be altered due to impassable roads or because of lack of students due to destroyed homes? • Can the district expand bus routes into neighboring districts to accommodate parents that might have relocated with friends and family? How far outside the district can students reasonably be accommodated? Will

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LM May 2023