Schools Prepare for Disaster

Students, teachers and staff members of the Las Virgenes School District took part in a planned earthquake disaster drill Thursday morning. The LVUSD administrative office also participated.

Organized through the office of Karen Kimmel, school district chief business official, Thursday's emergency drill simulated school preparedness following an 8.5 magnitude earthquake, according to Dr. Jessica Kiernana, principal for . According to Kiernan, all schools receive the same scenario.

"In this case, [at 9:50 a.m.] we are told to announce over the P.A. system that our earthquake drill has begun and that everyone must 'stop, drop and cover,'" said Kiernan, at which point everyone moves beneath classroom desks.

From there, all students, teachers, staff members and visitors "evacuate" the building and take to safer ground.

As students await with their teachers for further instruction, assigned "search and rescue teams," comprised of a teacher and a classified school member, search the premises for damage and missing students.

"This time, we were told that there was going to be 'extensive damage to the library' and that one classroom [of children] would be missing but then later found," said Kiernan.

According to Kiernan, a new emergency plan is written every year and search and rescue team members receive specialized training.

During the drill, Rhonda Bacot, LVUSD's Director of Maintainance and Operations, maintains walkie-talkie communication with each and every school, asking for status updates.

Once the drill instructions has been completed, the schools receive the all-clear to "resume normal duties."

Two such disaster drills are planned during the school year–one in the fall, the other in the spring.