Schools play a unique role in communities when disaster strikes. They serve as shelter for evacuees and first responders; they are a trusted source of information; and once danger has passed, the district, as employer and community center, often serves as a foundation for recovery. Technology plays a key role in a school district's ability to respond quickly and efficiently when disaster strikes. A district emergency may be resolved in an hour or it may close down schools for an extended period of time. Proper planning, training, and technology systems help districts respond quickly with broadcast communications and emergency services to maintain business continuity. But perhaps the most important role for schools in a community disaster is to provide a secure, reliable place for learning, whether in a safe building or a virtual community. This article presents ten lessons that demonstrate how district leaders have used technology to respond to fires, hurricanes, lockdowns, and other emergencies: (1) Clean contact data is essential, for communications; (2) The network infrastructure must be ready for peak traffic; (3) Backups are not enough to rebuild critical applications; (4) Moveable systems get you back online when facilities are destroyed; (5) The essential operations of the district must continue; (6) Timely and trusted communications provide a sense of security; (7) Emergency credentials are needed by critical personnel; (8) Two data centers are better than one; (9) Students are texting, why aren't you?; and (10) People are the key to crisis management. (Contains 13 online resources.)