systematic search beginning in the area of greatest damage and bottom up or top down should be started. An accounting of faculty, staff, students, and other individuals on campus should be started to determine if anyone is missing.
Great care should be taken to avoid personal injury:
1. Be alert for energized electrical equipment, including wiring, fixtures, or other equipment. 2. Watch for open or unprotected floor openings, including shafts, holes, or missing windows. 3. Where there is a potential for further collapse of a ceiling, ceiling tiles, wall, or any other portion of the building, evacuate and stay clear of the potential collapse zone — a minimum of twice the distance of the height of the wall. 4. Watch for shards of glass that may be embedded in walls and furniture.
After the storm, an immediate damage assessment should be made, and a preliminary report prepared and made available to the insurance claims adjuster and EIIA. The Administration should be informed as soon as possible after telephone service has been restored.
Flooding Flooding occurs when water overflows the natural or artificial confines of a stream or other body of water or accumulates by drainage over low-lying areas. Flooding may take place suddenly, as when a release of impounded water causes flash floods, or slowly, as bodies of water swell and spill over their banks. The following precautions should be taken: 1. Equipment, supplies, and machinery should be moved to another facility outside the flood zone or a higher elevation. 2. Equipment that must be shut down should be identified and prioritized so there is no delay when the decision is made. 3. Electrical power should be disconnected to buildings and equipment in imminent danger of flooding. 4. Sandbags should be placed at vulnerable openings in the building and around critical yard equipment that cannot be moved. 5. Assemble supplies for the response team, including portable lights, lumber and nails, tape for windows, roofing paper, sandbags, tarpaulins, power and manual tools, chain saws, shovels, and axes. 6. Fill fuel tanks for emergency generators and fire pump diesel engine drivers.
7. Inspect all fire protection equipment to ensure it is in service. 8. Clean out street catch basins and drains to prevent street flooding. 9. Take measures to protect valuable fine art and research.
Extreme caution should be taken in the event that power lines are down. The area should be roped off to prevent unsuspecting people from contacting energized power lines. The local electric utility should be notified. Care should be taken if there is a possibility of leaking natural gas from a pipeline or leaking propane gas or gasoline from storage tanks or vehicles. Potential ignition sources should be controlled if flammable or combustible liquids are present.
Hurricanes
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