School Shootings Surge in April - Is Your School Prepared for Emergency Lockdown?

ST. LOUIS - March 28, 2016 - PRLog -- Authorities and educators nationwide are preparing for a potential surge of school shooting incidents this spring because records show that such disasters often begin to erupt in April.

Experts tracking school shooting incidents theorize that many such disasters occur in April because some armed intruders want to copy or venerate what other shooters have previously done, or memorialize a date in history.

"All school shootings are tragic, and evidence shows that April is a particularly bad month for disasters in the United States," said Brian Houser of Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis. He cites these examples:

·         Parker Middle School shootings - April 24, 1998

·         Columbine shootings - April 20, 1999

·         Virginia Tech shootings - April 16, 2007

·         Oikos University shootings - April 2, 2012

"Schools and law enforcement officials are conducting 'preparedness drills' for students and faculty, and communicating with parents about disaster plans in the event of emergency," Houser said.

Disaster experts note that the Boston Marathon terrorist bombings occurred in April, as did the Oklahoma City bombings, and that the birthday of Adolph Hitler on April 20 sometimes prompts extremists to consider violent action or terrorist acts.

"Tragically, the rate of mass shootings in the U.S. has tripled since 2011 and seemingly occur almost every week," Houser said. "It's not a matter of if, but when the next shooting will happen at a school, a church or office building."

Houser recommends these disaster preparedness guidelines for any organization:

·         Form a planning committee

·         Outline objectives for reacting to incidents

·         Specify step-by-step response procedures

·         Designate "safe rooms" if possible

·         Publish plans online or email to all people who need to know

·         Acquire lockdown survival kits and make them accessible in key locations.

The nonprofit Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis owns Quake Kare, a nonprofit company that is the nation's leading provider of emergency survival kits. School districts, businesses, law enforcement agencies and families rely on its disaster preparedness kits to help survive floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and other threatening episodes. (http://www.quakekare.com).

"We are receiving requests from school districts for our Safety Lockdown Container Survival Kit," Houser said. This kit is designed for the classroom with necessary emergency supplies for up to 72 hours. It contains emergency food, water, lighting, first-aid, portable toilet, and shelter supplies, as well as a solar / hand-crank powered flashlight; weather band radio; and a USB device charger that never needs batteries to charge smartphones and other USB devices.

All Quake Kare sales revenue directly supports Lighthouse service programs for people who are blind or visually impaired in Missouri and Southwestern Illinois. The Lighthouse currently employs 47 people who are legally blind in two manufacturing plants in St. Louis County to assemble, pack and ship Quake Kare survival kits and other products.

The days between April 14th and 20th are filled with historic tragedies that prompt people and organizations to be wary of potential disaster, Houser said. Among others, these include the fatal shooting of Abraham Lincoln; the San Francisco earthquake that killed 3,000 people; and the sinking of the Titanic.

"The Lighthouse mission is to help people, and Quake Kare's mission is to help people prepare for the worst," Houser said.

For details about Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis services and programs, call 800.542.3697 or 314.423.4333. For product information, contact Brittney Bettonville at 800.542.3697 or 314.423.4333, or see the websites http://www.quakekare.com or www.lhbindustries.com.

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