Saddleback College, Irvine Valley College take part in Great California ShakeOut Earthquake Drill
(Courtesy of shakeout.org/california)
Students at Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College took cover Thursday morning, as they participated in the Great California ShakeOut Earthquake Drill.
At 10:17 a.m., an alert was broadcast across the campus telling students the drill had begun, and to drop and take cover. Students had to maintain cover until the “all clear” signal was sent out, after which students were told to evacuate the buildings. After about 10 minutes, members of the college’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) announced that the drill was over, and students could return to their classrooms.
According to shakeout.org/california, “The first ShakeOut drill was held in 2008, known as the Great Southern California ShakeOut, an effort by scientists and emergency managers to inform the public about earthquake preparedness. It was based on the ShakeOut Scenario, a comprehensive description of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas fault in southern California and the destruction it would cause.” This year, more than 9.6 million California residents registered to take part in the drill, over 200,000 more participants than in the 2012 ShakeOut.
For more information on earthquake safety
For more information on Saddleback College’s emergency planning and procedures
For more information on Irvine Valley College’s emergency planning and procedures
Students stand outside of the Fine Arts building at Saddleback College as they wait for the announcement that the drill had ended. (Michael Grennell)