Communication, Resilience and Growth in the Face of Disaster

This year I have been fortunate to work with an amazing group of Middle School students, who attend East Side Community Middle School.   East Side is normally located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and is historically a neighborhood school, with the vast majority of students walking to school daily.  This September, unfortunately, there was a structural snafu, and the entire ceiling began collapsing unto itself, not only causing fear and temporary evacuation, but also exposing the entire building to asbestos, undiscovered prior to the collapse.  The result was a yearlong relocation of the entire Middle School, of near 300 students, to one half of the 6^th Floor of P.S. 1, located in Chinatown, and historically a neighborhood Elementary School with a predominately Asian student and faculty population. 

Following the initial evacuation, mass texts from teachers and faculty informed every parent of the evacuation and need for early dismissal.  Even in chaos, the digital age of communication prevailed, and quickly and efficiently at that.  Following immediate texts, a flashing red message was put up of the school's website, and a Post up on Facebook, alerting the parent “friends” of the Facebook page to see the alert by push notifications on Smart Phones immediately.

As the school transitioned to P.S. 1, similar notices were again found on the website, alerting parents of special entrances, new hours, and transportation options for students.  Also sent to parents via e-mail was a link to the Principal’s Twitter feed, where he was able to Tweet any special directions or updates immediately. 

Since the students have transitioned, they have faced some bizarre new obstacles, including lack of desks or chairs, lack of traditional classroom space, and what some experienced as an initially hostile rapport with the faculty of P.S.1.  The students have done a remarkably good job of working with all of these new circumstances, and also tolerating being in a new neighborhood, up many flights of stairs, further from home, and in a school not identified as their own.  The resilience of the students has been magnified in comparison to the staffs’ reactions.

This displaced community found themselves in even more unfamiliar ground on October 29^th, as the City of New York was struck by Superstorm Sandy, and suffered unprecedented devastation and loss.  Amongst the many organizations, companies and agencies disrupted, was the disruption of the entire NYC School System, with those schools located south of 23^rd Street identified as the most vulnerable. 

As students and faculty of East Side alike sat home awaiting news of school re-openings and any further displacement, I found myself anxious and hoping that these students would not be displaced once again, fearful that they were at their limit of disruption.  Texts to faculty's phones came in from the Principal, alerting that there had been damage to P.S. 1 but students would likely be able to return.  Mass e-mails followed up with the instructions to navigate the NYC Department of Education website for up to date information.  Again a link to the schools Facebook page and the Principal’s Twitter feed included. 

The NYC Department of Education used a drop down menu, predominately and purposefully placed on their website’s homepage, to encourage any users to locate a school on the drop down menu, and select, to see the return date, any displacement, or special notices.  East Side’s Facebook page was up to date, and encouraged any family who was in particular need to contact the school’s Parent Coordinator via e-mail, phone or Facebook message.   The Principal kept his Twitter feed positive, with notes of support and encouragement for the student body, many students followers themselves, and also reminders to “take advantage of the time to rest and read!” 

In past weeks, the response had from the families has been overwhelmingly positive.  While many families did not have access to television, and could not see Bloomberg’s continuous stream of updates, most were able to retain phone power for some period of time, and eventually recharge at other locations. 

Because of the need for many on the Lower East Side to relocate, and if not then surely be without television or landline, it was the Smart Phones, equipped with Facebook, Twitter, texting capabilities, and e-mail access that saved the day and provided not only an outlet for the school system, and this specific school to communicate, but also an invaluable resource for the families and students affected to have some sense of knowing and connection in a time of emergency and extreme disconnect.

As the students at East Side have shown me over and again these past few months, the resilience and strength of children is unquestionable, and I have no doubts that those students, as they continue to grow and live in a world of ever evolving technology, will bring their strengths to this table of social media, and expand our digital world even beyond our current comprehension.

Tanya Simon