On October 19, San Marino High School was rocked by the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill. After an announcement broadcast to the entire school, everyone practiced what to do during an actual earthquake: drop, cover, and hold on. Then, students evacuated to the football field at the northern end of the campus. “We came out and got in the line, and walked up the PE hallway and up to the field” Tomey Satterthwaite, 11, said. After all the students sat down on the field, some faculty members participated in a search and rescue operation before the students and teachers returned to class.
The Great ShakeOut is a widely practiced annual event designed to raise awareness of and preparedness for earthquakes. It traces its roots to the Great Southern California Shakeout on November 13, 2008, which saw over 5 million people participate. Since then, the Great ShakeOut spread around the world, with over 57 million people across all six inhabited continents registered to participate this year.
The goal of the Great ShakeOut is to educate individuals, organizations, and communities about earthquake preparedness and what to do in the unlikely event of an earthquake occuring. Participants are taught to drop to the ground to prevent being knocked over, take cover under a sturdy piece of furniture to protect against falling objects, and hold on until the shaking stops. The “Drop, Cover and Hold On” slogan had also increased in popularity with the drill itself.
The Great ShakeOut serves as a reminder of the potential destruction earthquakes can cause and the importance of being ready at all times for one to occur. It helps people in practicing their emergency response plans, assessing their readiness, and learning valuable life-saving skills. By promoting awareness and preparedness, the Great ShakeOut contributes to making communities more resilient and better equipped to respond to earthquakes, which ultimately saves lives and reduces the impact of earthquakes on society as a whole.
