As school children are highly vulnerable group of society it is vital to introduce them to the do’s and dont’s regarding a disaster scenario. The State disaster management secretary Amit Singh Negi said this in a meeting held with managers of various schools in Dehradun. The meeting was focused on the school authority’s role, responsibilities and coordination with Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) and District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA- Dehradun) during a disaster scenario.
Negi assured that the team members of the department will conduct mock exercises on earthquake, impart training on first aid and rescue on school premises periodically.
Additional secretary Savin Bansal said that the best way to deal with disaster is to minimise the casualty by seeking support and strengthening coordination. It is very important for the school administration to know the State Disaster Management Plan, implemented under Disaster Management Act, 2005. He emphasised that the department will be raising awareness among school children on various aspects related to disaster periodically.
later, while addressing the media, the Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (DMMC) executive director Piyoosh Rautela said that risk has to be communicated to the people. He laid emphasis on the fact that school authorities should ascertain their nearest safest place/area, where all students and staff need to assemble in a disaster scenario. The Disaster Management department will definitely mobilise resources for schools on time at the time of any emergency but that can only be done in short span of time if there is proper coordination between the school administration and the department, he added. Representatives of 26 schools of Dehradun were present in the meeting held on Wednesday.