It was the night of the 23rd of April that we were fitfully reminded that we may not be prepared if we were struck by a massive quake.
What if the earthquake happened while students were at school? Have the schools taken the right precautions in order to safely asses all given situations in the event of a quake? Are the students prepared?
Generally, from elementary through high school, students will undergo many tedious practices for earthquakes. The one thing that every student knows to do is to hide under a desk, count to 60, and follow the rest of the class out into designated places out in the open. On the day of an earthquake drill, usually both the students and the teachers know when it’s going to happen, and can prepare for it. In a perfect world, an earthquake would happen as practiced in the classroom, but this is not a perfect world.
“There are many things that I wouldn’t know what to do in, in an earthquake,” Says Madeline Howarth a Carihi student, “Classrooms only have posters that say to go under our desk, count, then leave.”
Since Vancouver Island has been expecting a big quake for a long time now, the people of Campbell River could perhaps be more prepared and informed about the steps needed in the case of an emergency.
“I wouldn’t be prepared at home either, because we don’t have a kit, or an escape plan,” Howarth says
“I think the schools are doing well enough, but some common information lacks. Generally students know the protocol for earthquakes and other emergencies,” says Gurleen Mann, another Carihi student, uncertain whether or not schools could handle an extreme situation. There are some places though, which has the information necessary for emergency preparedness. On the website for Campbell River, under public safety, they have included information on the best possible actions to take during an emergency situation. Perhaps it’s time to create a family safety plan and learn the right precautions to take during an earthquake, and take action before it’s too late.