The purpose of this research was to examine how secondary teachers teach about disaster using the media during periods of declared natural disaster and post-disaster in their local communities. Issues of preparedness, pre and post disaster, were examined as well. Secondary teachers were queried in one public school system in the Southeastern United States, directly impacted by the April 2011 tornado outbreak. What these teachers did and what they learned from the experience of teaching within the context of a declared disaster zone can inform educators, including media literacy educators, administrators, and others faced with similar circumstances.