APEC School Safety Questionnaire Findings. L. Thomas Tobin Kristen Yawitz

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1 APEC School Safety Questionnaire Findings L. Thomas Tobin Kristen Yawitz

2 Questionnaire Aims To profile natural hazards affecting member economies To survey preparedness measures now in place To assess building code usage and enforcement dealing with new construction To assess programs to reduce risk in existing buildings To share innovative approaches

3 Natural Hazards Profile 43% of reporting APEC economies are affected by all of these hazards: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Cyclones, Droughts, Dam failure, Glacial lake outburst floods, River floods, Volcanic eruptions, Debris flows from volcanoes, Wildfires 100% report vulnerability to multiple hazards APEC all hazards approach to preparedness, mitigation and advocacy

4 Preparedness Measures Of reporting economies: 71% require schools to hold periodic fire drills 71% require schools to have an emergency action plan for what to do in an earthquake, tsunami or volcanic event 57% require schools to hold periodic drills to simulate natural hazard events or warnings of an event 43% require schools to have evacuation plans for one or more of the following: tsunami warnings, dam failure, volcanic activity

5 Building Code Of reporting economies: 100% have a building code for design and construction of school buildings to resist effects of natural hazards Only one building code covers tsunami runup (when a peak in the tsunami wave travels onto shore) 100% cite the safety objective of building codes for new school construction as Prevent collapse of school buildings so students can safely get out 100% report that codes apply to public & private schools

6 Building Code Enforcement Of reporting economies: 83% have independent review and checking of building design and construction plans 100% have independent inspection of construction work 67% have a certification process that school building design meets standards 67% have a certification process that school building construction meets standards 29% have a process for periodic review and revision of school building codes

7 Reducing Risk in Existing Buildings Of reporting economies: 71% state that their schools are assessed for vulnerability to earthquake shaking or ground failure, potential exposure to inundation by tsunami or dam failure, or volcanic debris flows 43% state that their schools are assessed for vulnerability to falling hazards

8 Innovative Policies & Practices - Preparedness Chinese Taipei The Disaster Prevention Education e-learning Platform offers schools and the general public important information on disaster preparedness policies, as well as teaching materials and plans for disaster preparedness education for students at different levels.

9 Sample Policies & Practices- New Construction Philippines Bayanihang Eskwela (BayEsk) is a communitybased public-private monitoring of school building projects, to check on whether or not buildings are constructed on time and according to standards. BayEsk involves both government agencies and organizations like the Girl and Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

10 Sample Policies & Practices - Existing Facilities New Zealand The Ministry of Education commissioned a survey by registered engineers of all 21,100 buildings at 2,361 state schools to determine whether existing school buildings met seismic strengthening standards of NZ s 2004 Building Act. 4 buildings had an unacceptable level of structural risk. Corrective action was taken immediately. 11% of buildings had at least one structural defect that required remediation. An investment program was launched to address these faults; remediation will be completed at a cost of about $NZ 60 million.

11 Conclusion School children are in danger in all reporting APEC economies, due to the threat of multiple hazard events, to school building vulnerability and location. Effective policies and practices are in place throughout the APEC region. APEC possesses a significant experience base, but No one economy does everything needed. Economies can benefit by sharing best practices and lessons learned. More can be done to keep school children safe!