UNICEF: Disaster preparedness in Philippines schools

This years International Day for Disaster Reduction, 8 October, arrives in the wake of a series of earthquakes, cyclones and hurricanes that have highlighted the urgent need to reduce disaster risk. The following story marks the occasion.

ALBAY PROVINCE, Philippines, 7 October 2008 At Banadero Elementary School, the clanging of the alarm bell echoes around the schoolyard. Children file out of their classrooms in orderly columns to pre-arranged assembly points. All the pupils, even the youngest, have the calm composure that comes from practice, because they have been through this drill before.

Towering above their tin-roofed school is the perfectly formed cone of the Mount Mayon volcano; a steady plume of steam and smoke coming from its crater.

With such an imposing neighbour, which has a history of violent eruptions, practice evacuation drills are a part of school life. Due to these drills we are not anymore afraid, because we already know what to do in times of calamities, said the Banadero schools principal, Paulina Vibal.

To read the full story, visit: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/philippines_45857.html

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Nonprofits & Activism

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• UNICEF
• Philippines
• Banadero
• children
• protection
• schools
• cyclone