208,000 to “drop” during historic earthquake drill
August 29th, 2008, 3:00 am · 1 Comment · posted by Gary Robbins, science writer-editor
At least 208,000 students, teachers and staff workers across Orange County will “drop, cover and hold on” in November during the Great Southern California ShakeOut, the largest earthquake drill in American history.
The number is more than twice as high as it was only three weeks ago, reflecting an interest in preparedness that has spiked since a 5.4 quake occurred on July 29th on a little known fault five miles east-northeast of Yorba Linda. The quake shook the county hard.
The shakeout drill will occur on Nov. 13, when emergency planners simulate a magnitude 7.8 quake on the southern San Andreas fault. Scientists say such a quake could kill more than 350 people in Orange County and injure about 9,000.
The drill was drawing comparatively little attention until the quake in July. But interest has been rising, driven by steady marketing from emergency planners who’ve targeted schools.
“We’re absolutely gaining momentum; people know this is an important thing to do,” says Sara Kaminske, an emergency planner with the Orange County Department of Education.
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August 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I remember doing these drills when I was in school. These in no way can represent the panic and destruction that will inevitably happen when the big one hits. Southern California is so far from being prepared it is ridiculous. This just sounds like a HUGE waste of money on the labor it is going to cost the state. We should use the money that will be squandered on the labor to purchase the necessary emergency supplies and ensure we have the proper backup communication resources in place to properly distribute those supplies. Every time we have a small quake there is talk thereafter of getting prepared and taking it seriously and then it fades after a short period of time. I can’t understand why more cities that face eminent future natural disasters take the lesson learned from Katrina in New Orleans. I guess I’m expecting too much since we can’t even seem to find competent politicians to right the budget and punishing professionals like teachers for their inability to do their jobs.
Dude: The drop, cover and hold on drill isn’t a waste of time or money. Most of these school children have not been through a major event. So even walking through through the proper technique for protecting themselves is important.