BATTLE GROUND — Fourth-graders at Maple Grove Primary School quietly pushed out their chairs and calmly crouched under their desks as they prepared for the Great Washington ShakeOut on Thursday.
As about 120 tsunami sirens sounded statewide for testing, an earthquake drill started at 10:17 a.m. at participating schools, businesses and homes.
Eric Anderson asked his fourth-grade class why they were participating in the drill. A little girl raised her hand and said, “It’s something to prepare us if there’s a real earthquake.”
Earthquakes are a concern in Clark County and Washington given the Cascadia subduction zone, which lies just 70 to 100 miles from the coast, has the power to unleash a devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake.
Small earthquakes occur frequently in the Cascades at Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams and other volcanoes, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network’s recent earthquake list.
Last month, Mount Adams experienced the most earthquakes in one month since volcano monitoring began in 1982.
Mike Kesler, Maple Grove’s safety supervisor, walked the school’s halls as the drill unfolded. He said in his 10 years working for Battle Ground School District, he has not experienced an earthquake, but the district still does a drill once a year.
“Drills are important because if we had an actual event, practicing it makes it permanent,” he said. “That way the kids know what to do — listen to the adults, especially in the primary schools.”
Anderson tried something new this year to make the drill feel more real. He played sounds of rumbling and glass breaking similar to what students would hear if an earthquake occurred.
“This is an earthquake drill,” Andrea Sperry, Maple Grove Primary School’s principal, announced over the school’s speaker.
The fourth-graders listened to the announcement and proceeded to drop, cover and hold on as recommended by Washington’s Emergency Management Division. For about 30 seconds, the students remained under their desks waiting for the OK to move.
After the drill, classmates checked on each other making sure everyone was all right and discussed checking on their “buddies” in other classes.
“I hope it never happens, but I think we’re prepared,” Anderson said.
