On Oct. 19, Pleasanton Unified School District and Amador joined students around the state for The Great California Shake Out.
Since 2008, California and other states such as Colorado and Illinois began holding statewide earthquake drills. The Great Shake Out is an annual tradition to remind people around the world of the great impact of earthquakes.
“Well the great shake out has been going on since 2008. Couple of reasons why it is important is to remember the big California earthquake we had, here in Northern California. I know we’ve had some big one in South California as well,” said AV Vice Principal Michael Jaramillo.
The Great Shake Out is important to remember California’s state history. Tuesday, Oct. 17, marked 34 years since the Loma Prieta Earthquake, which hit Northern California in 1989. The Loma Prieta Earthquake is remembered as California’s worst shake out of the last century. For the Bay Area, the day also remembers and honors the magnitude of 7.9 San Francisco Earthquake of April 18, 1906.
“This drill is a great way to remember that we have earthquakes and most importantly need to be prepared. So one thing we do is run these drills every year, typically around the middle of October, to remind our students to ‘drop, cover, and hold on’ and to take this drill very seriously just in case we have an actual earthquake here,” said Jaramillo.
Drills provide an educational opportunity to teach kids what to do in emergency situations. It is important the school district makes sure students feel safe and parents understand their children are in good hands.
“I think it’s great that our district participates in these drills. It not only shows the memory of past big earthquake but also makes me feel safe to know what I’m supposed to do during hard times. It also educates little kids in elementary schools to know what to do, so no one panics,” said Amishi Bhatia (‘24).
