But sometimes no amount of preparedness can prevent tragedy, Young said.
“We cannot ever be prepared based on the tragedy (in Oklahoma), but we do have plans in place and we give it our best effort,” he said. “I’m saying the children are safe here based on the plans we have.”
Safety policies statewide were widely influenced by an EF-5 tornado that tore through Xenia in 1974. The storm killed 33 people and injured more than 1,300. It bulldozed a path more than a half-mile wide, destroying or damaging more than 1,400 buildings, including 1,200 homes, dozens of businesses, 10 churches and several schools.
Due to what happened in Xenia, all Ohio schools are required to hold at least one tornado drill each season, which runs roughly April through June.
“Project architects are required to provide districts with plans that designate certain areas of the building as Tornado Safety Areas,” said Rick Savors, spokesman for the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.
In Xenia, which was also hit by an EF-4 tornado in 2000, the school district has five new elementary schools that are more structurally sound and built with designated tornado shelter areas on the first floor.
“It’s definitely a positive for the community. While our students are at school, it could possibly be the safest place for them,” said Christy Fielding, director of business and technology at Xenia Community Schools.
All school districts that received state facilities construction money must have similar shelter areas.
On Tuesday, the Xenia Chamber of Commerce observed a moment of silence for the Oklahoma victims.
“It’s taken to heart here in Xenia because it happened to us,” she said.
At Hamilton schools, Chad Konkle, administrator for business and planning for the district, said the district has eight newer school buildings that have safe zones identified where students and staff members gather during drills.
“They are engineered structurally to be safe zones,” Konkle said. “We’re confident our students are safe but the tragic event out west has our minds wandering.”
In Middletown schools, “Tornado safe havens have been identified in each building by certified engineers,” said George Long, business manager. “We perform tornado drills so that students move swiftly and efficiently.”
All of Springfield’s schools were built in the past 10 years using the latest construction standards for safety. Greer said he can remember a time when students were taught to line up in hallways along lockers and duck for cover.
Concerns about debris have led all Ohio districts to now use interior rooms, such as locker rooms, bathrooms and offices in the center of the school, Greer said.
If students were in a different area of the building when a warning sounds, Greer said they would move to the closest interior room.
Vandalia-Butler City Schools spokeswoman Bethany Reiff said the district holds drills monthly during the spring’s prime tornado season, including a state tornado drill in March and an additional one in the fall.
Top central office administrators also track bad weather approaching the area to help through an online service.
“I’ve been in the office when bad weather is on the way and their phones are constantly beeping because they are getting texts. It helps us be as prepared as we can for weather emergencies,” Reiff said.
In addition to the tornado drills, Kettering City Schools spokeswoman Kari Basson said the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management has reviewed several schools to identify the safest places in the buildings and made other recommendations. One was to add shatter-proof film on windows in Oakview Elementary because of several floor-to-ceiling windows, which is now planned.
“The main focus is the safety of all of our students and staff,” Basson said.
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