On October 17, the Great ShakeOut program invited schools nationwide to practice earthquake drills. After the Wallingford area experienced an uncommon 4.8 magnitude earthquake on April 5, 2024, the school district elected to participate in this year’s drill.
This drill occurred at the beginning of fourth block at Strath Haven and district-wide. The teachers instructed and informed the students about the drill, and the students then acted out the procedure.
The steps for the drill were simple. Teachers presented a slideshow of the instructions, in which students would get under their desks, cover their heads, and hold on to a table leg.
“The teachers wanted to know about it, so we prepped people beforehand, told them what it would be, and then made it fairly simple,” science teacher Mr. John Lincke said. “I think it was a great opportunity to teach people about a situation when an earthquake would happen.”
According to the Great ShakeOut website, ground shaking during an earthquake is seldom the cause of injury. Earthquake-related injuries are more commonly caused by collapsing walls and roofs, flying glass, and falling objects. Experts recommend that people experiencing an earthquake move as little as possible to reach a place of safety because most injuries occur when people try to move more than a short distance.
Many students found the drill not only helpful but also exciting.
“I thought it was fun, and we’ve never done anything like this before,” junior Ryan Markey said. “I don’t really think there would be a major earthquake in Pennsylvania, but it was good to be prepared.”
Although earthquakes are unlikely in Pennsylvania, the drills can still be helpful for students who plan to travel to more earthquake-prone areas.
“Many of my seniors will be traveling, and might end up in earthquake-prone areas, especially along the west coast,” Lincke said. “There, they take things a little bit more seriously because they expect earthquakes to happen.”
Fire, lockdowns, and earthquakes can occur without warning, so it’s important to be prepared and know what to do in such situations.
“Honestly, I was a little scared at first,” junior Jack Logue said. “I’ve never done anything like that before, and I think getting into the mindset of what it would be like if it was real helped me.”
