5 Tips for Effective School Leadership During a Natural Disaster

I pulled into the Vida School parking lot on January 7, 2025, knowing severe weather might be on the way. Our director of campus safety had been monitoring the wind warnings and met me at the door. “My guess is we’ll be calling for early dismissal by 11 a.m.,” she said.

As the principal of our school, I gathered staff, reviewed emergency protocols, and hoped for the best. With decades of collective experience working in the Los Angeles education system, we knew wildfire warning signs all too well.

Sure enough, right around 11 a.m., the all-school text went out alerting parents to pick up their children. The Palisades fire and the Eaton fire soon caused irreparable damage to homes, buildings, and entire parts of Los Angeles County. What followed was a hectic, stressful two weeks of monitoring evacuation maps, tuning in to county briefings, and sending nonstop emails to teachers and parents. Luckily, when the smoke cleared, we were able to confirm that our school was spared.

In the months since, I’ve reflected on what’s required of school leaders during natural disasters. I learned firsthand that there’s a balancing act between decisiveness and flexibility, as well as strength and vulnerability. Below are additional reflections for other school leaders, should you also find yourself navigating a natural disaster.

Decision Fatigue is Real

There’s an overwhelming amount of minute-by-minute decisions that emerge during emergencies. Should we offer virtual learning? Half the teachers are without power—who can lead Zoom calls? How close is the fire to our school? What’s the air quality like today?

I trust a mechanic when my car needs fixing, and I confer with doctors before making medical decisions. When it comes to wildfires, I’ve taken the same approach. My knowledge base is much less than our school’s director of campus safety. She tracks wind patterns, humidity percentages, and air quality. I trust her implicitly, especially because she works directly with our local fire department, police, and weather experts. I don’t make weather-related decisions without consulting her first.

During the fires, she and I watched every community briefing and consulted with other school leaders and experts regarding their reopening plans. It’s absolutely crucial to gather as much credible information as possible. So is leaning into your support team, who are vital when it comes to maintaining your sanity.

I’ve adopted two other simple decision-making hacks. First, prioritize decisions from least to most important. Minor calls get quick answers. Post-fires, should we move forward with a community bowling event that’s intended to be a stress-buster? Yes, absolutely. For bigger decisions, I take a gut check. Who am I serving? The answer should always be student health and safety. If other motivations emerge, like not wanting parents to be angry with me, I’ll internally call myself out: “Gut check!”

Communicate Often, Simply, and Clearly

Evacuation zones in Los Angeles constantly shifted as the wildfires spread more and more. Families were displaced, which made daily communication all the more vital. I embraced a three-touchpoints philosophy: an email with detailed updates, followed by a short all-school text with one straightforward message (“Campus is closed today—see email for details”), all of which was reinforced by staff messages in their class chat groups.

I’m naturally verbose, but emergency emails require the opposite approach. Natural disasters aren’t the time for lengthy expressions of gratitude or curriculum reflections. Emergency communications should instead stick to this structure:

• Explain what’s happening.

• Detail what action is needed.

• Note when the action is needed.

• Relay next steps.

• List whom to contact with any questions.

• End with a brief statement of support.

Your community will appreciate the clarity and simplicity.

Address Staff Mental Health

We’ve all heard the expression about putting on your oxygen mask before helping others. This is especially true for teachers, who are managing their own families and stressors alongside concern for their students. Although our school was eventually deemed safe to reopen, half of my teaching staff was still displaced, living with family or in hotels. Educators are selfless, but leaders must ensure that their staffers are mentally prepared for a return to the classroom.

Take time with each staff member to discuss their needs. One of my teachers was worried about spotty hotel Wi-Fi affecting her Zoom classes; another was figuring out childcare for her own children, who were still out of school. I gave these teachers space to handle their personal matters. In the interim, I reached out to our known substitutes, I relied on parents to help where they could, and I stepped in to cover classes too. Both of the aforementioned teachers were eventually able to return to the classroom in a healthier state, ready to support students.

Prepare for Highly Dysregulated Students

Natural disasters can cause anxiety, grief, and even PTSD. But when students initially return to school, you might also notice loud, intense dysregulation. Our kids couldn’t sit still during their first week back. They had nontypical lunches because they were living out of hotels, and they were unusually sensitive to otherwise-normal elementary school interactions.

This wasn’t the time for strict behavior management or rigid routines. Academics will catch up if students have space to heal and regulate. Greet them with calm, compassion, and understanding. Acknowledge their fears and hear their stories. And allow extra time for socializing—peer connection provides comfort that adults can’t match.

Reflect, Reassess, and Clean Up Your Mess

Even following best practices, mistakes will happen during a natural disaster. In hindsight, we shouldn’t have tried opening school on a day with a forecast calling for historically strong winds. We could have implemented virtual learning sooner. And I learned that bowling parties are actually essential after a disaster strikes.

Don’t be too proud to admit where things went wrong. After returning to normal, set aside time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t, and then establish new protocols. Following the fires, we created a “work from home hub” on our Google Drive, so that teachers without Wi-Fi could still provide student activities. We also reviewed evacuation plans and insurance coverage. While we can never be completely prepared for all of life’s challenges, we can certainly strive to be as ready as possible.