Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Small Town Life

One thing our schools have to have out here in Kansas is a tornado plan. I think someone once told me that the last time a tornado hit this small town was back in 1935. Although we have had a couple come close since I've lived here so it is something that we do have to worry about. My husband and I decided that the closet in the northwest corner of our basement is the safest place for us during a tornado warning.

I have heard that during a tornado warning the students at the high school are hustled into the cafeteria to sit it out. According to the National Weather Service this is one of the worst places to wait out a tornado since you should, "Avoid places with wide-span roofs such as auditoriums, cafeterias, and gymnasiums."

They do have a safer place for the student in the hallway on the first floor but there is not enough space there for all the students. No matter what they do some of the students would have to be sent to the cafeteria. The school, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that there is no way they are going to be put in the position of deciding which students are put in the hallway and which are sent to the cafeteria. If a tornado did strike this could mean the difference between life and death. The last thing they want is some grieving parent coming up to them and asking why their son or daughter was put to the cafeteria and not in the hallway. So to make it fairer all students are sent to the cafeteria.

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