Edmond Public School Now Practicing Earthquake Drills

Earthquakes are so prevalent now that Edmond Public Schools is adding voluntary earthquake drills to its safety plan.

Administrators want to make sure children are safe and protected if a big one hits during class.

“We'll have little tremors, but as far as a significant jolt we'll probably have two or three of those a week,” said Michele Bardrick, the Centennial Elementary Assistant Principal.

The drills are not mandatory for each school. Centennial decided to start them two weeks ago. They drop, cover and hold on by getting under their desks and protecting their heads.

“You have to be proactive, you don't want to decide what to do when it happens, but be ready ahead of time,” Bardrick told News 9.

They learned that during morning announcements on Thursday.

“Right in the middle of the announcements, we had an earthquake and it was great because the students felt it and they immediately got under their desk,” Bardrick explained.

Centennial Elementary was not the only school that felt it and took cover. Students at Russell Dougherty Elementary did the same during the earthquake.

“Makes us feel really great because we don't want the students to panic, we want them to be calm, to know there is a procedure,” Bardrick said.

The school keeps parents in the loop about the earthquake drills with a weekly letter.

“I think it's great that the school teaches the children how to be prepared, they need to know how to handle these different things that come at them in life and it probably eases the students' minds as well that they know what to do and they'll be protected,” said Katrina Halcli, a Centennial parent.

The school is required to have two fire drills a semester, so Centennial Elementary will do the earthquake drills on the same day as the fire drills for less classroom disruption.