Summary:
During the last few years there has been a large increase in the frequency and intensity of natural and technological disasters due to the effects of climate change on the one hand and on anthropogenic factors on the other. As a result, there is increasing greater lossin, human lives, with financial, social and environmental impacts. It is fact that like any construction, schools can be exposed to risks during to natural disasters. It is well known that there are no invulnerable constructions and, as defined by the new anti-seismic regulation, a construction is considered to be anti-seismic when it ensures "the protection of human life in case of great tension, the limitation and avoidance of economic loss in case of moderate stress and the limitation the assurance of a minimum level project functions' R & D, 2000. School complexes are structures in which a significant number of children and teachers are hosted for many hours every day. It is therefore imperative to provide maximum security as a result of a series of actions related to the prevention, preparedness and sensitization of the parties involved in Emergency Planning. In order to establish a safe school, emergency plans should be run on the following axes: safe school buildings, preparedness to deal with risks from natural disasters and the existence of policies and national strategies through which students and teachers can manage critical situations reducing the impact they may have.
This work concerns the study, description, comparative analysis and critical review of a number of published preparedness exercises of primary and secondary schools in Greece and abroad. Its aim to highlight the importance of preparedness exercises as part of the disaster and crisis management strategies in schools. Through the description and comparative analysis of the data, an attempt was made to find the degree of correlation between the educational level, the region and the country where the school is unit and the role of the country's education system are in the wider emergency management plan in the school unit ,concerning readiness exercises. It is through a fruitful critique that good practices which can be applied to the schools of our country can be developed. At the same time, it is attempted to focus on exercises which dealing with natural disasters require improvement and propose the measures and solutions needed to ensure the best education for students.
Keywords:
Natural Disasters, Crisis Management, Training, Crisis Management Groups, Emergency Plans, Preparedness Exercises
