Three classes and a drill: this is how flood preparedness training will be in Catalan schools

BarcelonaJust over a year ago, a severe weather event, known as a "DANA," devastated the Valencian Community with flash floods that claimed the lives of 230 people. The event left scenes of people clinging to cars and balconies to escape the water, and the following day, images of destruction in the streets, homes, and several schools. The lack of contingency plans for such events also caused chaos in educational centers. In fact, just a few weeks ago, the Valencian Minister of Education, José Antonio Rovira, even questioned whether he had been prepared. "to look after the 500,000 students and the 80,000 teachers" Valencians when he was criticized for the death of a school principal in Cheste, who died returning home after staying at the school all day during the floods.

To prevent tragedies like the one in the Valencian Community from happening again, shortly after the torrential rains, the Spanish government approved a plan requiring all students in schools and institutes across the country to receive training on how to act in an emergency. In Catalonia, the training will begin in January with 3rd and 4th grade students. Civil Protection is currently training teachers to deliver these sessions. "It's mandatory training that all teachers must complete, consisting of a 10-hour self-paced course and 5 assessment activities," explains Judit Lecue of Civil Protection.

All this training will culminate in three classes and a drill, which will begin to be implemented this January in all Catalan schools. First, these three hours of instruction will take place, where, as Lecue explains, "an introduction to the culture of prevention and civil protection is given," adapted to the level of 3rd and 4th grade students. Furthermore, the teacher must adapt the risk assessment to the specific area where their school is located—a school by the sea, in the mountains, or in the city are not the same—and to the individual classroom group. In addition to this more theoretical content, the head of Civil Protection explains that part of the sessions is also dedicated to explaining how to act in an emergency: "How to prepare, how to stay informed, and how children can emotionally manage such an event." In this regard, Lecue emphasizes that, despite the theoretical nature of the content, Civil Protection has worked with the Education Department to make the activities "fun and interactive, in order to achieve the ultimate goal, which is to prepare children for emergencies."

The drill

Once the theoretical sessions have been delivered, all schools will conduct a drill. "It will be the same as what has been mandatory in educational centers for many years, but activities can be adapted beyond a simple fire drill," the professional explains. In this way, students will be taught what to do before, during, and after a drill, and, for example, the school will have to choose whether the scenario is an evacuation or a shelter-in-place to protect themselves from what is happening outside. Beyond how to act at school, Lecue emphasizes that the training aims to teach children what to do in case of an emergency in other settings. "We want them to know what to do in any leisure setting, at school, at home, or on vacation with their family," she affirms. Thus, the training also covers... kit emergency supplies that the Generalitat recommends having at home and the alerts that Civil Protection has recently started sending to mobile phones to warn of any unusual situations.

The goal of the Department of Education and Civil Protection is that by the 2026-2027 school year, emergency training will be implemented in all primary school grades, and that by the 2027-2028 school year, training will be rolled out across all four years of secondary school. "It's a training plan that will be implemented in the following years. Children in Catalonia will begin working on risks, preparedness, and self-protection from the first year of primary school until they reach the fourth year of secondary school."