OPINION: Earthquake safety deserves more than a one-day ‘ShakeOut’


“The big one is coming.” Any native Californian has heard this phrase a thousand times, and will continue to hear it until “the big one” — the large, possibly catastrophic, earthquake that has been predicted for years — actually happens.

Thursday is the annual Great California ShakeOut, founded at USC’s earthquake center, where more than 10 million participants across the state take part in an international earthquake drill in order to raise awareness for earthquake safety. This year is the organization’s 10th year of operation, as it has held annual drills since 2008. Though USC, UCLA, Loyola Marymount, Cal State Los Angeles and Santa Monica Community College are all participating, the tangible effect this drill has had on universities across California is uncertain.

USC, which happens to rest in the middle of several major fault lines, does not seem too preoccupied with the prospect of a big earthquake happening in the immediate future. Maybe one day a year isn’t enough preparation for a school of 47,500 people, many of whom have never experienced an earthquake or lived in an earthquake zone.

Since the start of the school year, there has been no school-wide discussion on any precautions to take in case of an earthquake. The University is not doing enough to prepare its students and faculty for a large-scale emergency, such as a major earthquake.

As of now, the University is planning on participating in and hosting the worldwide effort. It has asked asking students to register online to participate in the event, but made no greater attempts to get students involved, aside from a memo emailed on Tuesday.

“All students will be receiving memos from USC reminding them what to do in case of an earthquake,” said Steve Goldfarb, an expert on emergency and disaster preparedness at USC. While this may be true, it is hard for students to remember something they were never taught in the first place.

It’s unlikely that a mere email will affect real change. The memo will most likely be buried in students’ inboxes and not taken very seriously.

“We use the ShakeOut as that major educational push,” Goldfarb said. “We also have a lot of stuff online to educate students, but the bottom line is that everyone has to take responsibility for themselves to understand what to do.”

Despite the large emphasis USC places on this event, it does not detract from the fact that most students, especially those who have never experienced an earthquake, feel unprepared. The University is simply not doing enough.

“I’m kind of scared because I don’t know what to do in the event of an earthquake,” said Archana Yarlagadda, a freshman majoring in health promotion and disease prevention. “It’s an event that happens frequently in California and the campus should prepare students more,” she said.

Yarlagadda is from Birmingham, Ala. and said she was never taught earthquake safety growing up.

More can be done. Similar programs like AlcoholEDU, safety videos and activities should be mandatory for every student, staff and faculty member. Though the campus is structurally sound for a large earthquake, the level of preparedness among students and staff is staggeringly low considering the amount of research and education dedicated to earthquakes on campus. The ShakeOut seems to be the center of earthquake preparedness at USC, but we all know what will happen after Thursday: Everyone will stop caring.

“If it does happen, we have that level of preparedness,” Goldfarb said.

Though it is reassuring to know that the school as a whole is prepared, USC takes little measure in making sure that individuals are  well-educated in earthquake safety procedures. Students deserve to feel prepared for natural disasters, and a one-day drill and minimal email is not enough.