By Lauren Mascarenhas, Courier Managing Editor
Logan students practiced the old duck–and-cover Thursday as they participated in “The Great California Shakeout”, and their preparedness came in handy as the bay area experienced two real earthquakes later in the day.
3.8 million people in schools, communities, and businesses across California participated in the Shakeout, a statewide earthquake drill at 10:20 am. Logan students were in their third period classes when the drill started, and were instructed to walk out to the designated evacuation areas in and around campus.
Many students view these drills as redundant as they are often performed several times throughout the school year. However, this annual “Shakeout” offered some twists to the traditional drill. Some students were recruited to role play different scenarios that could occur in the case of a disaster.
For instance, a student in Elizabeth Childers’ third period marine bio was instructed to “run away” during the drill without telling his teacher. Childers, unaware of the student’s special assignment, was able to practice the protocol for reporting missing students during a disaster.
These students and teachers viewed the drill as an opportunity to practice earthquake preparedness. However the moans and groans of many students who felt it had all been done before could be heard around the school.
“People don’t really take it seriously. They don’t realize that when a real earthquake occurs they’re not going to know what to do,” said senior Satpreet Kaur.
The state-wide earthquake drill may not have shaken up students, but when mother nature took things into her own hands, the three real earthquakes later in the day certainly did not go unnoticed.
At 2:41 pm, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake on the Hayward fault hit Berkeley and spread throughout the Bay Area.
Media coverage of this earthquake was minimal, and very few students (who were in class at the time) reported feeling the quake. The 2.2 aftershock at 4:50pm went similarly unnoticed.
However, when a magnitude 3.8 earthquake hit around the same area at 8:16pm the reaction was much stronger. Within minutes Facebook statuses about the quake started pouring in and coverage on local news channels began. Though there were no reported injuries, the quake prompted Bart to temporarily stop its trains causing fifteen minute delays for the rest of the night.
With the morning drill and the earthquakes later in the day, the 20th definitely shook up Logan students and families.There is no saying when the next earthquake will strike, but there is no better time to prepare than the present.
This morning at 5:36 am, Thursday October 27th, yet another earthquake shook up Northern California with a magnitude of 3.6 centered in Berkeley on the Hayward fault.
Disaster preparedness tips can be found at www.72hours.org. as well as www.shakeout.org
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