In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Houston area, causing the homelessness of nearly 24,000 students in the Houston Independent School District (Houston ISD) alone. Additionally, nearly all Houston ISD schools sustained damage of some kind, resulting in school closures, campus relocations, and even the delaying of the start of classes for…

The devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey on school districts along the Texas coast in 2017 required public school superintendents to provide strong, decisive leadership for their students, staff, and communities. Limited research exists on the experiences of superintendents who lead during times of crisis. The purpose of this study was to…

At West Texas A&M University, faculty members in the Criminal Justice and Emergency Management programs teach students how to deal with man-made and natural disasters. These program courses require students to learn about the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) in addition to passing certain requirements. Each student must pass NIMS…

For health educators to successfully meet the challenges of responding to public health emergencies, it is important to establish and understand the role of collaborations with local, state and federal partners in identifying potential public health issues and to develop theory-based models or strategies to address these issues before, during and…

This article describes how librarians stepped up to the plate to rescue materials and meet the needs of thousands of uprooted evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, employing their unique skills and resources to put forth a humane and herculean effort. In Houston and Austin, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Memphis; Fayetteville, Arkansas; and…

The nation's public schools played a critical role in the response to Hurricane Katrina, and they continue to contribute to the recovery of individual families and entire communities. By enrolling displaced children with compassion and efficiency in areas unaffected by the storms, providing parents with information and assistance, and supporting…

In this article, the author relates the lessons she learned from Hurricane Katrina. During the first few days after the hurricane, it took 2,500 volunteers per hour around the clock to do what needed to be done. That included medical volunteers; crisis counselors and mental health professionals; and volunteers to distribute water and snacks, serve…

Five days after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, a convoy of 142 air-conditioned school buses from the 209,000-student Texas district rumbled to life. Loaded with food and bottled water, staffed by 350 school employees, and accompanied by bus-repair trucks and a phalanx of school police cars, the yellow buses traveled all night to reach the…