Contact: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Friday, February 12, 2010

From Haiti to Chicago, earthquakes can happen anywhere at any time. That’s why the Lexington Division of Emergency Management encourages drills during February, which is Earthquake Awareness Month in Kentucky.  

Students at Mary Todd Elementary School practiced Friday morning.

“We went under our desks and covered our heads with our hands and waited until it was all clear,” fourth-grader Cameron Osborne explained.

After a real earthquake, everyone also would evacuate the building.

“Our bottom line is safety for our students and staff,” Principal Kari Kirchner said, noting that several kinds of drills are routine in Fayette County Public Schools. 

Earthquake drills are scheduled three times and severe weather drills four times a year. Every school also has an annual surprise lockdown drill as well as monthly fire drills. All of them familiarize students with various safety procedures.

“Even if they’re worried or panicked, they can follow through because they’ve practiced,” Kirchner said.  

Friday’s earthquake drill resonated with her students because of the recent tragedy abroad.

“Here, we usually are pretty safe,” Cameron said. “We feel bad for the people in Haiti.” 

Resources:

To learn more about earthquakes and the “Duck, Cover and Hold On” response, visit www.lexingtonky.gov/dem.