Six ways to keep your school safe when disaster strikes
Children are often hit first and hardest by disasters - and they face major risks to their safety, health and education.
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UNICEF estimates that nearly half of the world's children - roughly 1 billion - live in one of 33 countries classified as "extremely high risk" from the impacts of climate change. In 2024 alone, at least 242 million students - from pre-primary to upper secondary education - experienced school disruptions globally, meaning 1 in 7 students had their schooling disrupted by climate hazards. Between 2015 and 2021, over half a million schools were damaged or destroyed, according to Sendai Framework Monitor data.
In many vulnerable areas, schools double as community centers and emergency shelters, offering safety for the population while providing continuity of education during and after disasters. They often also play an important role in disaster risk reduction (DRR) by educating students about local risks, conducting preparedness drills, and fostering a culture of prevention.
The six actionable and innovative DRR strategies below focus on prevention and preparedness, recovery and resilience-building - to keep classrooms open and students learning.
1. Build disaster-resilient schools
Investing in resilient school infrastructure lays the foundation for long-term safety and sustainability.
UNICEF has issued guidelines recommending disaster-resilient features like reinforced structures, solar systems, and rainwater harvesting to safeguard against hazards and promote sustainability.
This approach has proved effective in Pakistan, where schools built with internationally recognized building codes and durable materials withstood the 2022 floods without requiring reconstruction. Although initially more expensive, these schools protected the lives of children while freeing up humanitarian funds and resources for less fortunate members of the community.
Similarly, experiences in Nepal have shown how retrofitting projects can enhance the resilience of schools to disasters. By the time of the 2015 earthquake, a long-term programme to improve earthquake safety had retrofitted 300 schools, including 160 in the most-affected districts. As a result, most of these retrofitted schools were undamaged or sustained only minimal crack during the disaster.
The Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF) provides a globally recognized approach to strengthening school resilience against disasters. Built on three interconnected pillars-safe learning facilities, school disaster management, and risk reduction education-it promotes holistic strategies that protect students, teachers, and school infrastructure while fostering a culture of preparedness and resilience.
2. Bridge the digital divide
Compared to schools in cities, rural schools often lack infrastructure or connectivity, leaving students particularly vulnerable during closures.
Recreation centers and university campuses can serve as temporary classrooms. These facilities helped schools reopen in New York City, within a week after Hurricane Sandy 2012.
In contrast, schools in rural North Carolina took over a month to resume business after Hurricane Helene in September 2024 - due to inadequate access to temporary learning spaces, limited digital resources, and a lack of alternatives for remote education.
To bridge these gaps, mobile learning hubs, tele-education platforms, flexible timetables, and offline materials are crucial for ensuring continuity when classrooms are inaccessible.
It is equally important to train teachers to use digital tools and to secure funding for reliable networks: these are critical for bridging gaps and building resilience, especially for schools in more remotesettings.
3. Let children be children
Storytelling and gamification make disaster preparedness engaging and practical for children.
The COPE series of illustrated storybooks uses fun, imaginative narratives and relatable characters to teach children how to respond to natural hazards such as tsunamis, floods, and wildfires.
DRR games, like Stop Disasters - which played nearly 900,000 times in 2023- transform learning into an interactive experience by simulating real-life disaster scenarios.
These approaches spark students' interest in learning while developing their critical thinking and decision-making skills in emergencies, offering schools an engaging pathway to foster resilience through education.
4. Give children an active role
Children and youth must be empowered to lead and advocate for resilience.
The Resilient Schools Consortium (RiSC), launched in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, is a powerful DRR solution that empowers students to become active participants in climate resiliency efforts.
The programme, designed for students aged 12-18, focuses on teaching climate change, vulnerability, and preparedness through interactive lessons and real-world investigations. Students assess their school buildings for weaknesses, brainstorm improvements, and design projects aimed at enhancing safety during extreme weather events.
RiSC equips students with valuable knowledge and skills and promotes a sense of ownership and confidence, combating eco-anxiety and inspiring youth-driven climate action. By giving students the tools to influence their school's disaster resilience, RiSC is shaping the next generation of problem-solvers and climate advocates.
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5. Harness data-driven solutions
Data-driven approaches are essential for building resilient school infrastructure.
The World Bank's Global Library of School Infrastructure (GLOSI) provides critical data to assess the vulnerabilities of school buildings and devise cost-effective retrofitting strategies. For example, in Cali, Colombia, GLOSI played a central role in developing the municipality's first school infrastructure plan, by providing a methodological framework to enhance the earthquake resilience of school buildings.
Likewise, in El Salvador, GLOSI was used to analyze structural data for load-bearing masonry and reinforced concrete school buildings, supporting the development of a seismic risk mitigation program for school infrastructure.
Schools can use resources like GLOSI to identify risks, prioritize retrofitting efforts, and implement cost-effective solutions, ensuring safer learning environments and minimizing disruptions when hazards strike.
6. Strengthen systems to speed up recovery
A well-prepared disaster risk governance system can significantly accelerate education recovery after hazards.
With swift block grant allocations from the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) of Indonesia, the rapid rehabilitation of 64 schools in Indonesia's Cianjur district following the 2022 earthquake leveraged pre-existing guidelines and lessons from the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake. Direct financial assistance, combined with standardized protocols and guidelines based on previous experience, ensured efficient rebuilding, allowing students to return to safer classrooms.
This case demonstrates the importance of learning from experience and having robust systems, funding mechanisms, and scalable solutions in place.
These six actionable DRR strategies can be used to help protect education from the impacts of hazards, strengthen community resilience, and build a safer, more adaptable future for generations to come. When implemented together, these strategies form a multi-layered defence that can make schools more resilient in the face of hazards.
The resilience of schools extends far beyond the classroom, empowering students, families, and communities with the knowledge and tools to ensure uninterrupted education, to respond to hazards, and to protect the wider community.
Every effort to make schools safer and more adaptable empowers the next generation for a resilient future - and fortifies the social fabric of disaster-ready societies.