Hostname: page-component-669899f699-8p65j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-27T04:04:57.088Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Assessing Characteristics of Unplanned School Closures that Occurred in the United States in Response to Hurricane Harvey in 2017

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2020

Ashley M. Jackson Open the ORCID record for Ashley M. Jackson [Opens in a new window]  and
Faruque Ahmed
Ashley M. Jackson
Affiliation:
Community Interventions for Infection Control Unit, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Faruque Ahmed*
Affiliation:
Community Interventions for Infection Control Unit, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Faruque Ahmed, MS V18-2, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA30329 (e-mail: FBA5@cdc.gov).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall in Texas on August 24, 2017, caused catastrophic damage that resulted in the closure of many schools and school districts across 4 states. We evaluated the underlying reasons and characteristics of the unplanned school closures to gain insight on how communities may cope with recommended preemptive closures as an intervention for pandemic influenza.

Methods:

Information was extracted from news articles, school websites, and Twitter and Facebook posts previously collected through daily systematic searches of Google, Google News, and Lexis-Nexis. This information was sorted into predefined categories describing the characteristics that may be associated with unplanned school closures that occur during a natural disaster.

Results:

Across Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, there were 3026 unplanned closures. Sixty-three percent of the closures occurred in Texas. The main reasons for the closures were flooding, power outages, and structural damage. The closed schools in Texas were sometimes used as shelters or as locations for providing food or other resources.

Conclusion:

School closures associated with Hurricane Harvey were attributed to both the effects of the hurricane and use for resource allocation. These findings can help inform preparedness planning and response for future hurricane seasons and other large-scale emergencies.

Keywords

hurricanesnatural disastersunplanned school closures
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 125 - 129
Copyright
© 2020 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

Wong, KK, Shi, J, Gao, H, et al.Why is school closed today? Unplanned K-12 school closures in the United States, 2011–2013. PLoS One. 2014. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113755.Google ScholarPubMed
Samenow, J. Hurricane Center: Harvey’s “overwhelming” rains were likely nation’s most extreme ever. The Washington Post. Published January 25, 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/01/25/hurricane-center-harveys-overwhelming-rains-were-likely-nations-most-extreme-ever/. Accessed April 16, 2018.Google Scholar
Kindelan, K. More than 1 million public school students estimated to be affected by Hurricane Harvey. ABC News. Published August 31, 2017. http://abcnews.go.com/US/million-public-school-students-estimated-impacted-hurricane-harvey/story?id=49511399. Accessed April 16, 2018.Google Scholar
Zheteyeva, Y, Rainey, JJ, Gao, H, et al.Unintended costs and consequences of school closures implemented in preparation for Hurricane Isaac in Harrison County School District, Mississippi, August–September 2012. PLoS One. 2017. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184326.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools. Lessons learned from school crises and emergencies. Published 2007. https://rems.ed.gov/docs/LL_Vol2Issue5.pdf. Accessed June 20, 2018.Google Scholar
Majic 102.1. Dozens of damaged Houston ISD schools delayed at least 1 more week. Published September 8, 2017. https://myhoustonmajic.com/3280322/dozens-of-damaged-houston-isd-schoolsdelayed-at-least-1-more-week/. Accessed May 8, 2018.Google Scholar
Alvarado, B. Two-thirds of Port Aransas ISD up and running again after Hurricane Harvey. Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Published January 12, 2018. https://www.caller.com/story/news/education/2018/01/11/two-thirds-port-aransas-isd-up-and-running-again-after-hurricane-harvey/1024096001/. Accessed June 20, 2018.Google Scholar
US Department of Education. Education for homeless children and youths program non-regulatory guidance. Published July 27, 2016. https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/160240ehcyguidance072716.pdf. Accessed May 5, 2018.Google Scholar
Texas Education Agency. Frequently asked questions regarding House Bill 2610. Published September 28, 2015. https://tea.texas.gov/About_TEA/News_and_Multimedia/Correspondence/TAA_Letters/Frequently_Asked_Questions_Regarding_House_Bill_2610/. Accessed May 8, 2018.Google Scholar
Texas Education Agency. Additional missed school day waivers related to Hurricane Harvey. Published September 1, 2017. https://tea.texas.gov/About_TEA/News_and_Multimedia/Correspondence/TAA_Letters/Additional_Missed_School_Day_Waivers_related_to_Hurricane_Harvey/. Accessed May 8, 2018.Google Scholar
Atterbury, A. State waives two missed school days for Hurricane Irma as districts reshuffle calendars. TCPalm. Published September 20, 2017. https://www.tcpalm.com/story/weather/hurricanes/2017/09/20/state-waives-two-missed-school-days-irma-but-districts-can-request-more/684423001/. Accessed May 9, 2018.Google Scholar
Schwartz, H, Ahmed, F, Tamargo, J, et al. Opportunities and challenges in using online learning to maintain continuity of instruction in K-12 schools in emergencies. Manuscript submitted for publication; 2018.Google Scholar
Qualls, N, Levitt, A, Kanade, N, et al.Community mitigation guidelines to prevent pandemic influenza – United States, 2017. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2017. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.rr6601a1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed