Students and staff members at schools across the Washoe County School District (WCSD) will participate in the Great Nevada ShakeOut on Thursday, October 20. This is an annual international event that helps remind millions of people worldwide about the necessity for training, reviewing, and practicing safety skills in the event of an earthquake. The Great Nevada ShakeOut also serves as an important part of WCSD’s commitment to preparation and safety in the event of any emergency. During the Great Nevada ShakeOut, students and staff members will practice protecting themselves during an earthquake with a plan to “Drop, Take Cover, and Hold On.”
“The Great Nevada ShakeOut provides us with a wonderful opportunity to review our safety skills and talk about our safety procedures if there is an earthquake,” said Roy Anderson, emergency manager for WCSD. “Nevada is very seismically active—the third most active state in the nation—and we do have a history of major quakes here. If an earthquake were to strike while school is in session, we want our students and staff to know how to stay as safe as possible until we can reunite them with their families. This is an important part of our ongoing safety plans and procedures districtwide, and we look forward to this event every year.”
As part of the ShakeOut event, students and staff will “drop” to the ground, “take cover” under sturdy desks or tables, and “hold on” for 60 seconds, as if there were a major earthquake occurring at that moment. More than 18 million people worldwide will participate in similar drills and activities in their communities on that day.
Families are encouraged to have an emergency plan in place at home in case of fire, earthquake, or weather-related emergencies. All families should assemble an emergency kit with at least three days’ worth of food, water, medications, and other supplies.
“Preparation is crucial to keeping our staff and students safe, so we practice and drill throughout the year for a variety of emergency situations,” said Anderson. “The ShakeOut offers us a ‘teachable moment’ for our students, staff members, and families.”
School principals will choose the most convenient date and time for their students and staff members to participate in the event in October. For more information about how to prepare for an emergency, visit https://www.ready.gov/kit.
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