School Earthquake Drill Is a Must

The pupils of Cubay Elementary School in the Division of La Carlota City had proven themselves how they were ever ready when a natural disaster will come anytime like the earthquake.

"Duck, Cover and Hold"

Their alertness and readiness were tested recently when an earthquake drill was conducted in by the school principal, this blogger.

It was 10:15 in the morning when the grade four class of Mrs. Melanie Reyes was first evaluated. Since this was the class that was going to check on how prepared are they, I never used the bell to signal the occurrence of the earthquake. Instead I tapped the table for a minute, meaning there's an earthquake and the building is shaking.

As I tapped the table, they alerted themselves, "duck, cover and hold" as they hid under their armchairs. When I stopped, they went out slowly from the room, still in "duck, cover and hold" manner. They headed to the open place as designated as the evacuation center.

As they settled there orderly, their teacher conducted a head count by checking everyone's presence.

The grades one, two and three were also evaluated separately. They did it perfectly as per instructions given to them. The grade five and six were evaluated too.

As they went back to their respective classrooms, they discussed the results of the drill, especially those things that needed to be improved for the next earthquake drill.

Phases of Earthquake Drill

The following information is taken from the primer on how to conduct earthquake drill in the school:

Phase 1. Alarm. A 1-minute alarm when sounded means earthquake or shaking.

Phase 2. Response. While the alarm is ongoing, everyone should perform "duck, cover and hold." Remain in this position until the "shaking" stops.

Phase 3. Evacuation. When the shaking stops, immediately evacuate the school building and proceed to identified evacuation areas by following the routes led by the class marshall or teacher.

Phase 4. Assembly. Where they are in the evacuation area, the students must be grouped together according to the class where they belong.

Phase 5. Head Count. Teachers should check and make sure all students are accounted for.

Phase 6. Evaluation. The over-all coordinator will announce the termination off drill or "All clear".

An evaluation of the drill must be conducted to identify problems encountered during the drill and how these can be improved in the future earthquake drills.

Pupils' Traumatic Experience of the Earthquake

Our pupils were traumatized by the earthquake of February 6, 2012 with 6.8 intensity that shook the Eastern part of Negros Occidental island including our place, La Carlota City, PH.

They remembered how the coconut trees were shaking rapidly during the quake before noon of that day. Some recalled how their classmates quivered, getting nervous, cried very loudly, and calling for their parents.

Necessity of Earthquake Drill

This recent earthquake drill conducted by our school is in compliance with Department of Education (DepED) Order No. 48, s. 2012, "Quarterly Conduct of the National School-Based Earthquake and Fire Drills."

It stated, "The activity aims to generate the highest level of awareness among the public on Disaster Risk Reduction/Climate Change Adaptations (DRR/CCA) concerns and to assess the capacity level of the school and the community in the eventuality of disasters and emergencies."

Report of this earthquake drill of our school was submitted to the division DRRM for consolidations. Submission of reports including the Drill Evaluation Form are required for strict compliance in order to evaluate the level of awareness an preparedness of all schools during disasters and emergencies.