Dear Staff,

Major earthquakes may happen anywhere you work, live, or travel in Washington. In an earthquake, you may only have seconds to protect yourself before strong shaking knocks you down, or something falls on you. At 10:20 a.m. on October 20, one million Washingtonians will participate in this year’s earthquake drill. The ESD 112 Safety Committee invites you to participate too! We will practice the Drop, Cover, and Hold On drill right at our own desks in all three buildings. It is important to practice quake-safe actions because in a real event, when the adrenaline kicks in, you may not act safely if you haven’t practiced the drill before that moment.

The ESD Safety Committee urges you to review the attached recommended earthquake safety actions in preparation for the drill. If you have difficulty getting safely to the floor on your own, get as low as possible and cover your head and neck with your arms and hands. If you do not feel comfortable participating in the drill, do not feel pressured. However, we would like all of our staff to review the attached earthquake safety actions.

For home preparedness please check out the short video and play the interactive game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXxPTAhMGLI

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like more information about earthquake preparedness.

Thank you.

Tim Merlino, Superintendent