USC prepares for statewide earthquake drill

Students and faculty on both USC campuses will practice their “drop, cover and hold on” techniques Thursday during the third annual Great California ShakeOut.

The ShakeOut is a statewide earthquake drill intended to inform the public about what to do and how to prepare in the event of an earthquake.

USC is one of 157 colleges and universities currently registered to participate in the event, which will take place at 10:21 a.m. Thursday.

Steve Goldfarb, a fire safety and emergency planning specialist, said it is extremely important for USC to take part in this drill.

“If people know what to do and how to react in the event of an earthquake, it will prevent injuries,” Goldfarb said.

USC has participated in this event for the last two years, and it has been very successful, he said.

This year, for the first time, USC has recruited more than 200 people to facilitate the drill on campus. Called ShakeOut drill ambassadors, these faculty members have been given the training and instructions to lead the drill in their particular areas of campus.

In addition to the drop-and-cover drill, training exercises will be held by various emergency response teams on campus. These teams will review emergency plans that are already in place and practice setting up Department Operations Centers and command posts. They will also test the communication abilities between the University Park Campus and Health Sciences Campus.

The Department of Public Safety, USC Facilities Management Services, USC Auxiliary Services and others will come together to help with the event.

Statewide, more than 7 million people have signed up for the ShakeOut, which is sponsored by the Earthquake Country Alliance.

Last year, 6.9 million Californians participated, Goldfarb said. With the catastrophic earthquakes in both Haiti and Chile this year, interest has peaked even further.

Goldfarb said he believes recent research indicating that an earthquake along the San Andreas Fault will occur sooner and be larger than previously thought is also increasing public interest.

This report, released in August by researchers at UC Irvine and Arizona State, has had many people talking about the possibility of the “big one.”

In addition, a 2008 study cited by ShakeOut organizers indicates that there is a 99.7 percent chance of a large earthquake occuring in California within the next 30 years.

Though the drill is not mandatory, Goldfarb said he strongly encourages just a few minutes of participation from students and staff in classes, offices and residence halls across campus.

Isha Awasthi, a junior majoring in business administration, said she believes the drill will be helpful for both students and emergency responders.

“I think it’s important just so people have continued awareness,” Awasthi said. “If we don’t do the drill, people might forget.”

Goldfarb said students wishing to learn more about the event can visit the USC Safety and Emergency Preparedness page on Facebook.