SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — Mrs. Denison’s third-grade class at Welby Elementary School takes earthquake safety very seriously. So when math was interrupted by the Great Utah Shake Out on Thursday, her students were prepared.
More than 920,000 people signed up for the Great Utah Shake Out, which takes place annually in April.
The steps are simple: Drop, Cover and Hold on.
Student Haddie Baker explained why it’s important to be aware of your surroundings during a natural disaster.
“If you go under your desk, nothing will fall on you,” Baker said.
Lessons from Utah's 5.7 magnitude quake and how to prepare for the next one:
Ninety percent of Utahns live in an active earthquake zone. While the students may not remember feeling an earthquake during their lifetime, their teacher recalled the quake that rattled the Salt Lake Valley in 2020.
“I was in the school; it was during COVID. Just the teachers were there, so us as teachers needed to know what to do,” Denison said.
After the 5.7 magnitude Magna earthquake, Denison said it’s important to prepare kids at a young age.
“We never know when we’re going to have an earthquake," said Denison. "So if we are practicing all the time, when the real one comes, they just automatically know what to do, and it won’t be scary for them."
Third-grader Emmylou Savage and her classmates agree.
“I mean, it was kind of nerve-racking, but it’s just natural having earthquake drills and all the drills that are important. It’s mostly important for the whole school because you don’t want to get hurt like that,” Savage said.
Even though it’s just a simulation, the lesson is still very real.
