"A storm can last a day. But the disruption to learning can last years. As natural disasters become more common, school districts are grappling with how to adapt."

"When Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle in 2018, Calhoun County schools were ravaged. Winds of 160 miles per hour destroyed an elementary school and ripped high-school bleachers from the ground.

“It was complete devastation,” said Darryl Taylor Jr., superintendent of the district. “It was like a nuclear bomb had gone off.”

The Calhoun schools are still trying to rebuild what they lost five years ago. A new elementary school is not yet finished, and some students are still in temporary classrooms. The process of assessing the damage for insurance, along with the pandemic, has been arduous.

“It was long and slow,” Mr. Taylor said."

Colbi Edmonds reports for the New York Times October 9, 2023. [2]