Author: Rachel Kaplan
On Thursday, Oct. 15, at 11:15 a.m., the Occidental campus participated in the Great California ShakeOut, a statewide earthquake drill. This is the second year of the drill’s existence and Oxy’s participation.
The goal of the ShakeOut is to teach Californians what to do when a big earthquake hits. “We all must get better prepared for major earthquakes, and also practice how to protect ourselves when they happen,” states the ShakeOut Web site. In a 2008 National Geographic piece, scientists predicted that there is a 99.7 percent chance that a big earthquake of a magnitude of 6.7 or higher will hit California in the next 30 years.
Emergency preparedness has become an institutional priority for Occidental since the 1994 Northridge earthquake. “One of our goals is to raise awareness about preparing yourself for when the big earthquake happens,” said Director of Campus Safety Holly Nieto. “The only way to prepare is to know what to expect because many of our folks are out of state and have never experienced an earthquake.”
Oxy has an Emergency Response Committee that meets every month to help prepare for events like the ShakeOut as well as real emergencies. “I feel good in that we’re better prepared than we were last year and we’re working to be better prepared next year,” Nieto, a member of the committee, said.
Department Services Coordinator for Advancement Services Carol Milki, one of the office leaders trained in what to do when an earthquake hits, said, “If there were an earthquake I’m supposed to call, ‘Duck, cover, and hold.’ I have a whistle in reach.”
Students were less clear what they could actually do to protect themselves in the event of an earthquake, even after an instructional video on how to drop, cover and get under the desks. “There’s going to be a big one [earthquake] sometime . . . and [ducking under] these desks, it is kind of comic,” Geoff Martel (sophomore) said.
“What desks?” Cameron Davidson (sophomore) said, questioning the size of the desks in Johnson Hall.
In the library, where the sizes of the desks were less of an issue, the drill seemed more successful. “I haven’t had an earthquake drill since elementary school. It’s good to have a refresher,” Anna Denueui (Junior) said.
Environmental Health and Safety Manger Bruce Steele, who helped organize the ShakeOut, was disappointed with Oxy’s participation. “I am still affected by what I perceive as apathy, or an unwillingness of some of the Oxy Community to take 10 minutes out of the 525,600 in a year to practice something that could prevent injury and save lives.” Still, he said in an e-mail interview, “at a minimum, I will register Oxy for participation in next year’s ShakeOut drill.”
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
