2015-06-24Staff Report 2 Maneni Wakuwa, a Grade 6 learner at the Namutoni Primary School says the emergency preparedness demonstration by the City of Windhoek informative and beneficial. “Most kids do not know what to do when they find themselves in a crisis, so this is thoughtful for city of Windhoek to teach us these useful lessons on what to do when we find ourselves trapped. At least I know what to do now,” says. Wakuwa. Another Grade 7 learner from the Theo Katjimune Primary School, Jetoterako Kambato, says she learned so much in a short period of time. “Whenever we see trouble, we use to run around screaming but know we know what to do. It’s very important to us to know the basics of what to do when a disaster occurs and this was indeed helpful,” she appreciates. The City of Windhoek last week conducted an emergency evacuation drill, at five schools in Windhoek as part of a disaster risk management education campaign with the aim of preparing schools for emergencies that may require them to evacuate any place where a disaster strike. This was at MH Greef Primary School, Namutoni Primary School, Khomastura Project School, Moses Van der Byl and Theo Katjimune Primary School. The Schools Disaster Risk Management Awareness Initiative was launched in 2004 and re-introduced in 2012. In 2012, the initiative was rolled out as a pilot project to few schools and it was a success. The aim of the initiative is to ensure that schools are better prepared for emergencies and or disasters that may affect them at any given time. The pilot project was a success as these schools now have tested Emergency Evacuation Plans in place and designated assembly points. In 2013, the initiative was rolled out to 15 schools which were a combination of primary and secondary schools. The project focuses on setting up School Emergency Evacuation Plans and raising awareness on the disaster risk management discipline. This involves basic training of learners and teachers who will serve as Emergency Evacuation Marshalls, setting up assembly sites, drawing of floor plans and eventually carrying out actual emergency evacuation drills. Next week, the City of Windhoek will continue to have more evacuation drills at different schools in Windhoek 2015-06-24Staff Report 2
