It is estimated that there are 10,000 earthquakes per year in California. When the next major one hits, how are you going to be prepared? At LJHS it’s no surprise to have an earthquake drill in the beginning of the year: the bells ring, everyone gets under their desks, the final bell rings and everyone walks to the football field. The drill is designed to improve our reaction time and practice the evacuation routine. Although the drill cuts into class time, it is not that long and it is very beneficial by helping us prepare for the real event. 

Students say it is a waste of time, but in the event of a real earthquake we should be prepared. If spending 30 minutes a year helps us, it is worth it. With all of the campus construction going on, the routes to evacuate and go to the field have been altered. Most students like Junior Nick Teeple weren’t aware of this and were shocked when we had to evacuate. “I didn’t like how we had to walk all the way around the school just to get to the field, but I guess it was good to practice,” Teeple stated. This is why earthquake drills are valuable expenditures of time. 

The earthquake drills also allow students to think and plan for actual natural disasters. According to Physicist Michio Kaku, the last major earthquake to hit San Diego occurred over 300 years ago. Since then, we had many minor earthquakes and are just waiting for another major one to occur. According to Pasadena Radio Station KPCC, “The Big One will be at least 11 times stronger than the Ridgecrest earthquake and 44 times stronger than Northridge.” In comparison, the Northridge Earthquake killed more than 50 people and caused $35 billion in damage. Not only do the drills prepare us for future earthquakes by practicing the routine, but they allow us to think about how we’ll react. Junior James Dessert, shared his idea on how to respond to an earthquake, “In a real earthquake, I would probably run as far away from the school as possible to prevent something from falling on me.” Earthquake drills are extremely important to our well being, even if they take up some of our class time.