EudoraNews.com

In the case of an emergency at any of the Eudora public schools, Eudora West Elementary principal Rod Moyer asked parents to do the hardest thing they could: stay home.

"That would be a tough one for a parent," he said. "Your child is safer at the school than anywhere else. We'll have phones set up. At the right time and the right place, you can come pick up your kids."

Avoiding a circus-like atmosphere was one of the lessons learned from Columbine that Moyer shared with a small group comprising mostly school and law enforcement officials Monday at Eudora High School. The mission behind the meeting was to inform school patrons and Eudora residents about emergency procedures for the community, as well as demystifying the federal government's terrorism color codes (see graphic, above).

"Unless you're in the military or law enforcement, you don't know what that is," he said.

School Resource Officer Tad Teehee said responses to the different codes include, at the lowest (green) level, making certain people receive training for emergencies, and at the severe (red) level, redirecting transportation and alerting the public and government forces.

Locally, Teehee said the Eudora Police Department was working on a plan that would enable the first officers to arrive on the scene to intervene without having to wait for specialized law enforcement teams.

"After Columbine, law enforcement had to figure out how they responded with first responders instead of hanging back, (they're) getting in and minimizing the threat."

Teehee said he and City Administrator Mike Yanez were also discussing a city-wide plan.

"Even though (terrorist attacks) happened in New York, we shut down here," Teehee said.

One thing residents can do for the city in case of an emergency is to watch out for neighbors, especially those who may need assistance or don't have access to emergency information via a television or radio.

Moyer said each of the USD 491 schools had its own evacuation and lockdown plan, either of which or a combination of which could be employed, depending on the type of emergency.

"The emergency systems expand and contract depending on the severity of the crisis," Superintendent Marty Kobza said.

Schools also have their own architecturally-designed "safe area," such as a hallway or locker room, that would protect students from a tornado or other emergency.

After Sept. 11, the emergency situation on most people's minds revolves around terrorism, a subject which Lawrence Police Chief Ron Olin has given talks on 30-some times since March. Olin said the size and scope of terrorism made preventing or minimizing tasks a daunting one. However, local police forces across the country will begin training programs after the first of the year.

"It's very difficult to put together a similar presentation for law enforcement officers across the United States," he said. "A lot of people are interested in bringing this together."

Despite the subject's large scope, Olin explained terrorists' objectives are to impact a broader audience than just the victims.

"It's not about killing 3,000 people," he said. "It's about scaring everyone else."

The economic scope of a terrorist can be so great, Olin said, that the estimated $500,000 it cost to pull off Sept. 11 caused $100 billion in damage.

Moreover, Olin said much of the conflict leading to terrorism revolved around conflict between the three main Western religions, including the much-publicized radical sects of Islam.

"It's a true mistake to paint Islam with the brush of a specific sect," Olin said.

As the discussion wound down, participants remembered the emergency procedures of their youth, whether it was an air raid drill or practicing procedures in the case of a nuclear attack.

"Every generation has its own," Moyer said.