October 15 saw the latest mandatory “Great Washington Shakeout Earthquake Drill.” There were no real earthquakes, but the disorganization made some students worry about the possibility of a real one.

Fliers posted around the school stated that students and staff would receive an emergency notification alert (via text and phone call) at 10 a.m. and that the drill would officially begin at 10:15, accompanied by a popup on all PCs with instructions on seeking cover.  At 10:30, the all clear notice would be issued and students and faculty would be allowed to reenter the buildings.

“The fire/earthquake drill we experience on Thursday, in my opinion, was a waste of time.”  Said student Quinton Hines.  “We didn’t even get to practice the earthquake drill because by the time that the warning came on all the screens, the Fire alarm came on. And when everyone evacuated the building it was all sorts of dangerous. From people walking under collapsible bridges to using the elevator, there was really no sense of direction on how the building should be evacuated. It was all kind of pointless.”

Kazuma Asazawa, an international student, said, “People do not predict when the natural disasters occur in the future, but preparing for it is necessary for people to protect. I grew up in Tokyo, Japan and experienced Tohoku earthquake in 2011. I had never experienced such a great earthquake and understood how much it had a power. According to Wikipedia, over 15 thousands people were killed in the Tohoku earthquake, and still a lot of people are losing their houses. From that experience, I think earthquake drill is one of ways to tell people how scaring the earthquake is. Probably, a lot of people would think the earthquake rarely occur in life, but we must be aware of it every day. The earthquake drill plays a very important rule in order to save our lives from the earthquake.”