On Thursday Oct. 19 students participated in the Great Shakeout. This event is an annual earthquake drill held since its launch in 2008 that is aimed to prepare people in case of an earthquake.
Schools in California are mandated to participate in this drill due to the high likelihood of earthquakes occurring. The state of California is situated on top of a major fault line–the San Andreas fault–which runs through many densely populated areas including the Bay Area and Los Angeles and it is approximately 800 miles long.
During the Great Shakeout, students and teachers practiced what to do in case of an emergency that required evacuation. Students and teachers practiced the “drop, cover, and hold on” and then evacuated to the football field.
“I think … [the Great Shakeout] went actually really well,” Ian Perry, the Assistant Principal said. “We were trying to test … our evacuation procedures and emergency protocols.”
There were some concerns regarding the lack of wifi on the football field at Dos Pueblos, as it was essential to the evacuation process. Crisis-Go is the safety platform that is used to send out drill alerts and messages to students and staff regarding emergencies that may be happening on campus. The app is also used to take attendance during emergency situations.
“We did experience some really drastic wifi issues on the football field,” Perry said. “I think it’s a safety concern, we need to have wifi in our evacuation zone, so that we’re able to actually use the safety platform.”
These concerns were shared with ETS (Educational Technology Services) and the district.
Perry expresses that he is always open for conversations about safety.
“We’re always trying to improve our safety on campus,” Perry said. “If you have any questions, concerns, or recommendations for safety on our campus let me know so that I’m available to address those things.”
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References
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-earthquake-drill-2023-great-shakeout-what-to-know/
