FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
10-12
June 14, 2010
OEM AND DOE PRESENT READY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR AWARD TO
PS / IS 18 IN MANHATTAN
Nearly 18,000 Students Across the Five Boroughs Received Ready Schools Emergency Preparedness Training This School Year
The New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Department of Education (DOE) today presented the Ready School of the Year Award to Principal Aurea Porrata-Doria and Assistant Principal Connie Mejia at PS / IS 18, the Park Terrace School, in upper Manhattan, for their on-going commitment to teaching students about the importance of preparing for emergencies. Since the beginning of the school year, PS / IS 18 has hosted a series of Ready Schools emergency preparedness presentations in English and Spanish, training 250 students, parents, and staff.
“The Ready Schools program has been an extremely successful and fun way to teach children about the importance of preparing for emergencies,” said OEM Commissioner Joseph F. Bruno. “And we’ve seen that preparing kids for emergencies has an added benefit – many students take the lessons they learn at these workshops and teach them to their families."
“Under Children First, we are committed to providing a well-rounded education,” said Deputy Schools Chancellor Kathleen Grimm. “To supplement classroom work, we have been working with the Office of Emergency Management and our schools to incorporate the Ready Schools guides and the curriculum to help students in school and at home.”
“During these difficult times where safety is of the utmost concern to all of us, the information shared will serve as a valid resource and a source of reassurance,” said Principal Aurea Porrata-Doria. “Our school has taken this program to heart as it has now become an integral part of our instruction.”
Ready Schools is part of the Ready New York for Kids program, which launched in 2007 with the introduction of two interactive emergency preparedness guides for students. In spring 2009, OEM and DOE expanded the initiative, introducing a pilot program to teach the lessons from Ready New York for Kids in schools.
After a successful pilot program in Brooklyn, OEM and DOE launched Ready Schools in all five boroughs at the start of the 2009/2010 school year. To date, nearly 18,000 public school students have been trained in emergency preparedness through the Ready Schools program.
Ready Schools focuses on three key messages:
- Get Ready: Make a Plan – Have at least two phone numbers – one local and one out-of- state number – which you can call in an emergency and practice the plan with adults in your home.
- Get Set: Prepare a Stay at Home Kit – During emergencies that require you to stay at home, it is important to have extra food and water for everyone in the house and a battery-operated radio for news updates.
- Get Ready to Go: Pack a Go Bag – During emergencies that require you to leave your home, have a Go Bag with emergency supplies.
Ready Schools and Ready New York for Kids are part of OEM’s Ready New York preparedness program. Ready New York has grown dramatically since OEM released its first household preparedness guide in 2003. The program now includes 11 multi-language publications, public service announcements, a video, an advertising campaign, expanded web content, a speakers’ bureau, a reprinting program, corporate partnerships, and extensive community outreach. Ready New York guides are available in up to 23 languages and in Braille and on audio tape.
According to OEM’s third annual preparedness survey, conducted in 2009, roughly six in 10 New Yorkers say they are prepared for an emergency, such as a natural disaster, fire, or power outage. The most common reason New Yorkers do not prepare for emergencies is that they have not considered it.
For more information about the Ready Schools initiative and the Ready New York program visit www.nyc.gov/oem or call 311.
Contact: Chris Gilbride, Seth Andrews (OEM) (718) 422-4888
Margie Feinberg (DOE) (212)-374-4942
