In the News
Posted October, 2011
Health/Safety/Risk Management takes action after Irene
When
Tropical Storm Irene swept through the northeast in late August, the
resulting damage prevented some Capital Region school districts from
opening on time. Several members of the Capital Region BOCES
Health/Safety/ Risk Management Service jumped into action to help
those school districts devastated by flood waters as a result of
excessive rainfall.
BOCES Risk staff who regularly work with school districts in Schoharie County, including Cobleskill-Richmondville, Middleburgh and Schoharie, assisted with clean up and recovery efforts in those neighboring school districts—primarily in Middleburgh, which was especially hard hit when the Schoharie Creek overflowed its banks.
Health and Safety Coordinator Tim Murphy spent time in Middleburgh helping clean up mud and debris in the district office and later removing and sorting chemicals and cleaning agents at Middleburgh’s Junior-Senior High School.
“The teamwork of Middleburgh’s administrators and employees and the compassion of the many volunteers was beyond inspirational,” said Murphy. “I consider myself lucky to work for an organization that enables its people to go where needed and work outside the routine during difficult times.”
Barry Becker, another BOCES health and safety coordinator, gave up a Sunday to assist with water sampling in the Schoharie school district, after a concern about possible water supply contamination forced the area to issue a “boil water” advisory. Becker helped the school district flush out its lines to rid the system of any potential contaminants.
The BOCES Health/Safety/Risk Management staff also delivered supplies to Golding Middle School, which served as a shelter for many displaced residents and a command post for the county’s recovery efforts. Risk provided personal protective equipment, such as gloves, to prevent injury for those assisting with the clean up in Middleburgh and elsewhere.
“There are many health and safety concerns involved when responding to flooding, from safe access to electrical and chemical hazards," said Health/Safety/Risk Management Service Program Manager Kristin Bucciferro. "It is important to keep these potential hazards in mind when cleaning up after the floods.”
Bucciferro added that the timing and variation of the hurricane’s impact on area school districts provided a unique challenge for the Risk team who were scheduled to provide opening day safety trainings for many school districts in early September.
“We were able to meet all the scheduled training needs of the districts that opened on time, while simultaneously committing as many resources as possible to those schools that were affected most,” she said.
Resources
NYS
Department of Health (flood)
FEMA
(flood)
Helping
Children Cope with Disaster (PDF)
