Shake, rattle and roll

Linn-Benton participates in The Great Oregon Shakeout

“Attention please. Attention please. LBCC is participating in the Great Oregon Shakeout. This is a simulation of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake. Staff and faculty, please continue with the reading of the simulation script now.”

The drill announcement was initiated over the PA system. There was no alarm actually sounded to alert staff and students. On Thursday, Oct. 15, Linn-Benton staff and students participated in a campus-wide earthquake drill at 10:15 a.m.

During the Great Oregon Shakeout, Margarita Casas, foreign language instructor, was just beginning her Spanish 101 class.

The facilitator for Casas’ class was Jonah Koerner. After the PA announcement was finished, Koerner read a script to simulate the effects of a 7.8 earthquake.

“We are having a 7.8-magnitude earthquake. The ground is shaking. Glass is breaking. There are loud rumbling noises surrounding you, books are falling, ceiling tiles are falling, lamp fixtures are falling, and power is flickering. The pipes may be breaking, and water running. The objects hanging on walls are falling off, projectors and screens could be falling, and the walls may be bending inward,” said Koerner. “Those around you will be screaming and panicking. This could last two to five minutes; but it will seem much longer.”   

“Earthquake drills are important reminders for the geologic area we live in,” said Matt Helget, history student.  

Oregon is located off the Juan de Fuca plate subduction zone, making it susceptible to earthquakes. An earthquake of a 7.8-magnitude would cause devastating damage.

Once students were aware of the quake strength they were faced with the effects a 7.8-magnitude earthquake could cause, the facilitator Koerner led a brief discussion regarding the first steps, directives, and to look around the environment to see what hazards think staff and students at LBCC might face during an earthquake on campus.

“It has been probably 20 years since my last earthquake drill in high school. Though I know educational facilities have the drills, when I was working we had no such drills, so I had forgotten the protocols,” said Helget. “Also, the protocols are different; I remember standing in a doorway was an okay place to be, but now is not.”

After the earthquake drill concluded and the discussion ended, students mentioned it was helpful; however, some were concerned regarding safety in the classrooms.

“Just looking at how classes are set up though, maybe the college needs to look at the security of the projectors to the ceilings seeing they’re over work tables and desks,” said Helget.

The Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills are an annual opportunity for people in homes, schools, and organizations to practice what to do during earthquakes, and to improve preparedness.

There were over 550,000 participants this year in the Great Oregon Shakeout.