February 9, 2010
Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:
THE GREAT CALIFORNIA SHAKEOUT
I would like to encourage you to meet your school or district earthquake drill requirements by participating in The Great California ShakeOut on October 21, 2010. The first step is to register your school or district today on The Great California ShakeOut Web site at http://www.shakeout.org/ (Outside Source).
On October 15, 2009, more than 6.9 million Californians statewide practiced “Drop, Cover, and Hold On,” and other safety procedures as part of the second ShakeOut drill. Students and staff at more than 300 districts and many private schools accounted for five million of these participants! Broad school participation from the start inspired businesses, organizations, government agencies, and the general public throughout the state to also participate. Building on the success of past years, the Shakeout is held statewide on the third Thursday of October each year.
Registered participants will be given detailed information for planning their drills. The California Department of Education has worked with Team SAFE-T and our partners to create age-appropriate resources for planning drills, promoting participation, teaching about earthquakes and preparedness, and educating families. You can find these resources on The Great California ShakeOut, How Schools Can Participate Web page at http://www.shakeout.org/schools/ (Outside Source).
The special theme for this year’s ShakeOut is “Secure Your Space,” which highlights the benefits of reducing potential damage and injuries by taking the appropriate precautions. Steps to securing your space include strapping bookshelves, file cabinets, and large appliances to walls, securing TVs and electronics, applying quake putty to small items, and many more helpful tips to make your school safer in the event of an earthquake.
The ShakeOut is designed to provide a sense of urgency about earthquakes, to encourage people, organizations, schools, and communities to get prepared, to practice what to do to be safe, and to learn what plans need to be improved. Schools are leaders in preparedness and your participation in the ShakeOut will set an example for many others to get involved.
The ShakeOut is organized by the Earthquake Country Alliance, which includes many organizations committed to earthquake and emergency preparedness. Members include the Southern California Earthquake Center, U.S. Geological Survey, California Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross, California Earthquake Authority, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Bay Area Earthquake Alliance, California Seismic Safety Commission, CalVolunteers, Team SAFE-T, Pacific Gas & Electric, Redwood Coast Tsunami Workgroup, Association of Bay Area Governments, county offices of education, and many others.
If you have any questions regarding The Great California ShakeOut, please contact Mark Benthien, Executive Director, Earthquake Country Alliance, by phone at 213-740-1560 or by e-mail at benthien@usc.edu.
Sincerely,
JACK O’CONNELL
JO:dr
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814