Disaster preparedness

Year level: Middle primary/Upper primary Learning Outcomes Students develop an understanding of the preparation that can be done to limit the impact of a natural disaster Investigate the types of natural disaster that might occur in your community. What are they? How do they affect people, the environment and the economy? Who might help in the event of a disaster? What can you do to prepare for a disaster? List the things that you, teachers, medical personnel, the fire brigade and the media could do to prepare for a fire at your school. Read the section on fires in your school's disaster plan. How does it differ from what you have listed? Prepare a survival kit of things you might take if you had to leave your classroom or house in a hurry because of fire or some other disaster. Assist your teachers to organise a fire drill. Note what happens during the drill and discuss how effective this would be if there really was a fire. List some ways of improving the response. Discuss: What can you do to prepare for a disaster? How do you think preparing for a disaster such as a fire can help if there is a fire? How might people in a developing country prepare for a similar disaster? Why might there be differences? Assessment task Design a poster about preparing for a fire. Use only a few words so that those who are unable to read would know what to do.