Climate change increases the likelihood and severity of existing risks; by increasing the length and frequency of heat waves and the severity and frequency of storms and flooding.[1] Studies have shown that education is one of the most effective methods of building resilience, in individuals and communities.[2]
Cambridge and MIT should use educational outreach to educate vulnerable populations about what they can do to prepare for emergency situations. It is particularly important to reach vulnerable populations – some solutions include translating educational materials into multiple languages.[3] and making sure information is accessible to those who may not have a home computer or internet-connected device.
FEMA recommends that individuals create a disaster management kit and know their evacuation routes. It also recommends that college students work out family communications plans and prepare emergency information sheets listing the names, locations, and phone numbers of family members and other important contacts.[3] MIT makes the same recommendation on its emergency preparedness site,[4] but should do so in a more clearly visible location; reaching the general student population, instead of just those that are seeking out additional information on emergency plans. One way to do so would be to add a brief section on disaster management to the pre-orientation education given to freshmen, focusing on creating an emergency information sheet and disaster management kit, or to give this information out during orientation.
MIT’s emergency preparedness website gives details about MIT policies regarding emergency evacuations and responses, and tells the viewer to be familiar with evacuation plans for their building.[4] However, evacuation plans for many buildings are not readily available online. For example, there is no centralized website where evacuation routes for each building can be found, and they are spread out over various department websites.[5] In addition, evacuation locations for each dorm are not readily available online. MIT should provide a centralized location where evacuation plans can be found, to make it more convenient for members of the MIT community to familiarize themselves with evacuation routes and meeting points before an emergency actually occurs.
By Wendy Wang
References
- Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Part 1. (2015, November). Retrieved from http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/Projects/Climate/~/media/307B044E0EC5492BB92B2D8FA003ED25.ashx
- Shaw R., Takeuchi Y., Rouhban B. (2009) Education, Capacity Building and Public Awareness for Disaster Reduction. In: Sassa K., Canuti P. (eds) Landslides – Disaster Risk Reduction. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
- Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2016. Preparing for Extreme Heat. Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/117016
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (n.d.). MIT Emergency Information. Retrieved from http://emergency.mit.edu/emergency
- MIT Department of Biological Engineering. (n.d.). Emergency Preparedness. Retrieved from https://be-ehs.mit.edu/epp