Disaster preparedness planning: policy and leadership issues

National, regional and local disaster preparedness planning requirements allow a wide range of responses. Describes a study in which such responses were cast against Quarantelli’s minimum criteria and Levin’s notion of experience as a powerful source for change. Data collection and comparative analyses were accomplished through the examination of local school district plans and policies as well as interviews with school leaders who had survived disasters. Concludes that school districts meet minimum local standards but few meet Quarantelli’s minimum; and having lived through a disaster neither served as impetus to initiate disaster preparedness plans nor resulted in plans incorporating knowledge gained.