For environmental events, specifically disasters, awareness and preparedness play a key role in keeping residents safe. Students at Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will take a step this month to remain prepared in the case of arguably California’s largest environmental disaster threat, an earthquake.
On the morning of October 19, students across the district will be taking part in the 2023 Great California ShakeOut, an earthquake preparedness drill that SMMUSD Community and Public Relations Officer Gail Pinsker says is "an annual opportunity to engage our school sites in a comprehensive earthquake drill and gauge how prepared we are in the event of a significant emergency." The district will mobilize its Emergency Operations Center for the drill, coordinating with all school sites and the district office to practice designated roles.
Sponsored by the Earthquake Country Alliance, the annual drill will have students practicing the "drop, cover, hold on" steps in class settings. The "drop" step is to fall onto hands and knees, a position that protects from being knocked down by an earthquake and reduces the chances of being hit by falling or flying objects.
"Most earthquake-related injuries and deaths are caused by collapsing walls and roofs, flying glass and falling objects," the Alliance wrote on the ShakeOut webpage. "It is extremely important for a person to move as little as possible to reach the place of safety he or she has identified, because most injuries occur when people try to move more than a short distance during the shaking."
The "cover" step is to cover the head and neck with one arm and hand, along with crawling underneath a sturdy table or desk for shelter. Finally, "hold on" means to stay put until shaking stops, holding onto a table or desk shelter with one hand in case it shifts during a potential quake.
"(The ShakeOut) provides the opportunity to review our plans, practice, update supplies and empower all students and staff with what to expect if an earthquake were to occur," Pinsker said. "It provides time for all students and staff to identify safe places wherever they may be in case of an actual earthquake."
Several recent earthquakes in the Greater Los Angeles area, though small in magnitude, emphasizes the potential threats a quake could bring to Santa Monica. On Oct. 6, the city was in the range of a 1.5 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter off the Santa Monica Freeway in Culver City, according toearthquaketrack.com. Santa Monica was also in the range of a 2.6 magnitude quake originating in the Windsor Hills area on Sept. 16.
According to the United States Geological Survey, Southern California has the highest level of earthquake risk in the United States, with over 300 faults capable of producing quakes of 6.0 magnitude or above. This risk adds to the urgency of getting students prepared, with SMMUSD students just some of the 9.1 million people registered to take part in the Oct. 19 drill.
"Millions of people live and work in earthquake-prone regions of the United States," the ShakeOut website states. "A major earthquake could cause unprecedented devastation for one of these regions, but also affect the economy of the entire country. What we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine how well we survive and recover."
