Last Thursday marked 30 years since a devastating 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook the Bay Area. In 2008, an effort to educate the public about how to protect themselves during a large earthquake and how to get prepared originated in Southern California. Since then, Great Shakeout earthquake drills have been held around the country and world.
The earth made itself known again with a 4.5-magnitude jolt a few days before the scheduled drill on Thursday, reminding all that the risk of more strong quakes is not theoretical. See related article below.
Here’s how Piedmont Unified School District incorporated the drill into the school day last week. Students had modified school schedules to accommodate the exercise.
From PUSD:
“Great Shakeout, the annual safety drill is to practice “drop, cover and hold,” which is the best way to protect students and staff from falling debris during an earthquake. The District’s emergency paging system broadcasts these instructions:
If inside, all are instructed to:
- Drop onto hands and knees so the earthquake doesn’t knock anyone down.
- Cover one’s head and neck with arms and, if it is safe, crawl under a sturdy desk or table for additional cover. Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as light fixtures.
- Hold on to sturdy covering, if any, and stay in place until the shaking stops.
- If getting safely to the floor to take cover isn’t possible, students and staff are instructed to get as low as possible to the floor, and to a corner of the room away from windows. Individuals who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices are directed to lock their wheels and remain seated until the shaking stops, and protect their head and neck with their arms or whatever is available.
- Going outside before it is determined to be safe puts individuals at a greater risk of being hit by falling debris.
- If outside, all are instructed to move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires and, once safely in the open, “drop, cover, and hold on” until the shaking stops.
At each school site, staff have designated responsibilities during emergencies, including earthquakes, and these are reviewed annually. Emergency responsibilities include: overall command and communication; supervision and assembly; site security and safety; first aid; search and rescue; and student release.”