On Thursday mornings, third graders at Winifred Pfifer Elementary School in Paso Robles are usually in the middle of a peaceful lesson, but this week, they had a unique disruption
"Get under the table. Don't worry about the chair. Hold onto the table bar and put one hand over your head, so if something colapse, you won't get your head hurt," said third grader Scarlett Hermosillo.
Oct. 16 at 10:16 a.m. marks the California Great Shakeout drill, where schools all over the state re-enact what to do in case of an earthquake.
"The Great Shakeout is the one drill that we do that is district-wide, so every site and every workplace in our district is involved," said Rachel Gustafson, student services coordinator for the school district.
Winifred Pfifer Principal Holly Moore says the drill is meant to feel as realistic as possible for students and staff.
"So everybody has a role, whether it be search and rescue or on various teams or supervising students. Everybody's role is very intricate," Moore said.
KSBY is told the elementary school does two emergency drills every month, but that planning for this one starts months in advance.
"We just want to make sure everyone is prepared fro what hopefully will never happen," Moore said.
Rachel Gustafson, coordinator of student services for the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, added that the large-scale drill helps identify any solvable discrepancies in case of a real emergency.
"California Shakeout is really important in the area that we live in, especially with the risk of earthquakes and it being in a real scenario that we practice frequently, so that all of our staff and all of our students are aware of how to respond, and develop that working memory of what to do in a real situation," Gustafson said.
All the work is done to ensure that the important live-saving actions stick with students.
"I just want to say be careful when there's an earthquake," Hermosillo said.
