LOUISIANA, USA — There's a new resource for public schools across the state. On Thursday, the Louisiana Dept. of Education unveiled its first ever "Hurricane Preparedness Playbook" at Lakewood Elementary in Luling.
The book was created by educators, for educators. The Louisiana Schools Hurricane Preparedness Commission (PLSHPC) created the 23-page book after meeting virtually for a year to compile knowledge and experience from past storms.
Lakewood Principal, Kelli Oertling, was on the commission.
“I’ve been an administrator for 20 plus years. Never have we experienced anything like Hurricane Ida. You go through your normal checklists and it’s like, ‘Okay, we’ll be back.’ Not really expecting the damage that we had," Oertling said.
Rising Lakewood 5th Grader, Olivia Kremer, remembers how Hurricane Ida damaged her school.
“It looked like a windstorm just happened, and it was just crazy," Kremer said. “I wasn’t really scared. I just didn’t want my house to get damaged.”
Kremer was one of 300,000 students that were out of school in Central and Southeast Louisiana after the storm, LDOE said.
Not one public school in St. Charles Parish was untouched.
That's why district leaders like Oertling were the perfect pick to develop the guide for others.
"It makes a big difference when you've lived through it. So being able to bring that knowledge, especially having just lived through it, was extremely important, and I think it was a totally different perspective," Oertling said.
Louisiana Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley visited Lakewood for the release of the book.
“Hopefully this playbook is never needed," Brumley said, “It’s also a living document. It’s adaptable to each individual system.”
The book includes checklists and resources for districts to use before, during and after a storm.
“I’m happy and I think that it’s going to work, and I’m happy that I’m safe and my family is safe," Kremer said.
Brumley said they're distributing as many hard copies to schools as possible, and the book will be available online.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.