Ring the alarm: it's time for US schools to have climate disaster drills
[...]
The federal government traditionally funds programs pre-disaster to mitigate the effects of hazards and post-disaster to assist communities to recover and rebuild. While funding vehicles may operate under different names and emphasize resilience more today than a decade ago, little attention is paid beyond physical infrastructure improvements or restoration — public or private. This is unfortunate as disaster management is more than government response and recovery. It is inclusive of a broader appreciation of disaster risk among the general public. Through a disaster risk reduction education campaign, such an appreciation can be achieved.
[...]
For too long, finding a suitable home for disaster risk reduction education within the standard curriculum model was held up by partisan debate at the cost of the future preparedness of students, their families, and communities. Still, there remains uncertainty about where disaster risk education belongs within the modus operandi of K-12 education. It may not fit comfortably within one discipline, let alone align with a given community's educational standards. For that reason, educators and administrators should look towards embedding disaster risk reduction education by leveraging current and past disaster events, trans-disciplinary lesson planning, and civic engagement (invite first responders as guest speakers) relevant to their locality among students, parents, teachers, administrators and local leadership.
[...]
Even if state and local governments dedicate a small fraction of new funding received under the American Rescue Plan Act into disaster education, most communities could benefit from curricula that teach disaster preparedness in ways commensurate with today’s momentum and climate crisis. True disaster risk reduction relies as much on physical capital as human capital. America’s classrooms are as good of a place to start as any to reduce disaster risk and become a more resilient nation.
[...]