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Students Transform Into 'Weather Rangers,' Coordinate Efforts In Simulation Of Category 4 Hurricane

Students from West Miami Middle School simulated hurricane preparedness and emergency responses in the county's emergency operations center in Doral on Wednesday, October 17, 2018. The program, StormZone, has given students this simulation for 12 years.
Lily Oppenheimer
/
WLRN
Students from West Miami Middle School simulated hurricane preparedness and emergency responses in the county's emergency operations center in Doral on Wednesday, October 17, 2018. The program, StormZone, has given students this simulation for 12 years.

It was a sunny South Florida morning but inside the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for Miami-Dade County, in Doral, all everybody talked about was rain, devastating winds and storms.

A group of 40 sixth-graders from West Miami Middle School dashed between desks, coordinating emergency efforts during a simulation of what would happen during a category 4 hurricane.

“The hurricane will be affecting Miami-Dade County in 36 hours,” said student Hazel Perez, charged with being a meteorologist during the simulation. “A few thunderstorms will begin to move along our coast in 24 hours.”

The StormZone program has been bringing South Florida students into the emergency operation center for 12 years for simulation exercises in which they face the same obstacles Miami-Dade County authorities could face before, during and after similar a hurricane.

“These students will be faced with overturned tanker trucks, there will be fires, they’ll be issues dealing with people trying to leave,” said Erik Salna, a meteorologist under Florida International University’s Hurricane Research Center and associate director of the Extreme Events Institute.

Sixth grader Hazel Perez from West Miami Middle School poses as a meteorologist during the mock hurricane simulation program, StormZone, in the county's emergency operation's center in Doral on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.
Credit Lily Oppenheimer / WLRN
/
WLRN
Sixth grader Hazel Perez from West Miami Middle School poses as a meteorologist during the mock hurricane simulation program, StormZone, in the county's emergency operation's center in Doral on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.

After filing into the room, a little after 9 a.m. on a Monday morning, the middle schoolers wiped sleep from their eyes and pulled on oversized t-shirts reading ‘Weather Rangers.’

Salna says he wants these students to feel like the clock is ticking and they have only hours to prepare before the hurricane makes landfall.

“It really gives them another opportunity to think about different career fields, and maybe they can have a job one day where they can help their community during a natural hazard,” Salna said.

He said this simulation for students is essential, especially in the wake of Hurricane Michael devastating the Florida Panhandle. He reminded the participants: 

“After the hurricane think of the damage -- there will be problems in the nursing home, where people will be evacuated out and brought to a safer place. And think of problems in hurricane shelters, and what happens in those facilities.”

Sixth grader Joshua Rauser from West Miami Middle School assumes the role of emergency transportation during a mock category 4 hurricane in the county's emergency operations center in Doral on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.
Credit Lily Oppenheimer / WLRN
/
WLRN
Sixth grader Joshua Rauser from West Miami Middle School assumes the role of emergency transportation during a mock category 4 hurricane in the county's emergency operations center in Doral on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.

In his head, sixth grader Joshua Rauser said he felt like he was actually on an emergency transportation team. Alert and constantly turning his hands, Rauser led his group and made the decision to send out helicopters after accidents blocked a main highway.

“For transportation, we have eight helicopters,” Rauser said. “Well, since there’s traffic because of the oil spill, we can’t use trucks or vans, so instead we’re going to use our helicopters to transport the people.”

Dr. Christine Todd,  curriculum development and training educator at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, helped coordinate StormZone for these students.

“This is the best part about school,” she said. “Just listening to their conversations and ideas, they’re such brilliant kids and they have very good ideas.”

She said she sees a few future meteorologists, and this is an essential activity for students who live in an area vulnerable to hurricanes.

Copyright 2018 WLRN 91.3 FM

Under a Missouri School of Journalism fellowship, I spent my last college semester in New York City editing and producing videos for Mic, an innovative news startup in One World Trade Center. After late nights of deadlines, finessing video pieces, bonding with coworkers and experimenting with editing techniques, I produced and filmed my own mini-documentary focusing on evolving Mic video strategies.