Bartlesville schools participate in multi-state earthquake drill

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - Bartlesville schools joined in with more than 1,000 schools across eight states in Tuesday's “Great Central United States ShakeOut” earthquake drill.

According to Bartlesville Public Schools District Safe and Drug-free Schools Coordinator Kerry Ickleberry, all 10 of the Bartlesville school district's sites participated in the drill.

At about 10:15 a.m. when a voice came over the school intercom alerting teachers and students to the drill, students at Richard Kane Elementary School got out of their seats, pushed them away, crawled underneath their desks and couched — staying there and holding on to their desks as the sound of rumbling came over the intercom.

They followed FEMA's suggested action that during an earthquake, people should drop to the ground, take cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table and hold on to it until the shaking stops.

Students were also told in the event of an earthquake to move away from any windows toward the middle of the room.

Finally, the “shaking” stopped and students were told they could return to their seats.

The drill, organized and coordinated by FEMA, the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium, the U.S. Geological Survey and many other partners, saw participation by businesses and government agencies as well.

Ickleberry told 2NEWS Tuesday's drill went smoothly.

She said the drill is just one of many the district conducts to prepare students and staff for possible dangerous situations.

The district also conducts lock-down and tornado drills, among others, she said.

“ It's just one more way to keep our students safe,” she said, saying the district is very safety conscious.

Ickleberry said following Tuesday's drill at Richard Kane Elementary, one student who had moved from California said “We had to do this all the time. There is nothing to be scared of here.”

Wilson Elementary School Principal Tammie Krause said the drill went well at her site as well.

"Our students were aware of the procedures and acted quickly and efficiently during the drill," she said. She added a school counselor who was with some students when the drill began said she was impressed by their smooth and calm reaction.

"This was a great opportunity to talk with our students about safety procedures and cautions in the event of an earthquake," said Krause.