School Transportation News Magazine | September 2009
PLANNING By Julie Metea
AHEAD OF MOTHER NATURE
Mother Nature doesn’t give much warning for storms, lightning, floods and snow piles.
Tat’s why weather professionals urge school districts and school transportation companies to keep a constant eye to the sky and be ready to spread the word when danger approaches. “Getting the word out to drivers is number one,” said David Nicosia, warning coordination
meteorologist of the National Weather Service in Binghamton, New York. Given today’s technology, there’s no shortage of notification services or information outlets.
Te trouble usually comes with a lack of judgment, emergency planning and interpretation of weather information. Human judgment factors the most important when it comes to figuring out when to ac-
Weather may be boring in small talk, but it is one of the highest topics of concern when it comes to school transportation
tivate an emergency plan or hold school buses. Someone needs to be watching the weather daily and constantly during emergencies. Flash floods, severe thunderstorms, lightning and tornadoes are the most common of rapid weather onslaughts. Tese are times when decisions have to be made immediately, both individually and as a whole department. As individual decision-makers, one of the most common mistakes of these scenarios is brav-
ing flood waters, according to Nicosia. Another common mistake is letting students off a bus after a wind or ice storm, where electrical lines may have fallen. “Tey have to be informed with storms and floods. Drivers should never cross a flooded
roadway,” he said. As a whole group, school transportation professionals have a little more time to prepare for
hurricanes, winter storms, excessive cold or excessive heat. Tese types of weather are usually predicted at least a day in advance, allowing more time to make decisions about the operations. “One cannot wait for the storms to strike. Plan what must be done to save lives. Get pre-
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