Fire Drills will be scheduled on each second or third Wednesday. Children will leave their classrooms in an orderly manner, under the supervision of teachers and quickly walk single file to the playground. In the event our facilities are damaged by fire and are not habitable, we will care for the children at Waianae Mail and call you to pick up you child as soon as possible.

Hurricanes/Tropical Storm

Watches are issued by the National Weather Service 36 hours prior to the arrival of storm effects is possible. When a watch is issued we will monitor the storm and make decisions to close the school before a warning is issued. The timing of the closure will generally coincide with the end of a school day and not affect your work schedule. Warnings are issued when a storm could affect Oahu in 24 hours or less.

TSUNAMI WARNING

Because Adventist Malama Elementary School is located in an inundation zone we have prepared an evacuation plan that will be put into effect immediately whenever a warning would be issued.

Remember local tsunamis arrive in 10-40 minutes.

• From Alaska the time is between 4.5 to 5.5 hours.

• From Japan the travel time is about 8 hours.

• From South America the time is 12 to 15 hours.

When a tsunami warning is issued when the school is in session, the following steps will be put into effect.

A distant tsunami warning gives us time for you to act. We remain open until all the children are picked up at the school. Please come as soon as possible.

A local tsunami. Do not attempt to pick up your child. Remember the travel time is only 10 to 40 minutes. We will evacuate the children through the back gate and walk

Mauka to the end of Hoaha Street. We will stay there until the danger has passed, then we will walk the children back to the school and you can come to pick up your children as soon as possible.

If in doubt as to whether the school will be opening during a warning it is a good rule to follow to keep the child with you. Please explain to your children about the possible evacuations. Make them aware that you will not be there but they will be safe with the teachers. Assure them you will pick them up as soon as possible.

Earthquake

Should an earthquake of significant magnitude occur on Oahu, we can anticipate considerable disruption to our highway systems. If your children are in school, you may not be able to get to them even though you may live close by. Please be assured that we will take care of the children until you can safely pick them up. We will conduct earthquake drills once each month in conjunction with the sounding of the Civil Defense sirens. If indoors, we will stay indoors and take cover under tables. If outdoors, we will stay outdoors and move toward the swing area. We will not practice evacuation during these drills.

In summary, please be assured that we will take good care of your children during any emergency or disaster.

Several suggestions are appropriate:

a. A good rule to follow for school closure: If it is announced on radio or television that the public schools are closing, Adventist Malama Elementary School will also be closing.

b. Do not call during emergencies. Keep the telephone lines open and available for those who have urgent needs.

We need your understanding as to the risk we take by walking your children to places where there could be no shelter, no bathrooms, no place in which we can keep them busy doing something to pass the time away. It is our hope that people in that area will welcome us with open arms during time of emergency.

We will do our best for your children but will not be held liable for any injuries that might occur during a time of emergency or natural disaster. Your personal insurance plans will cover such, expenses.

We welcome any comment and/or suggestions to the above plans. We plan on a good and safe school year. We thank you for your support, kokua, understanding and cooperation.