Students, staff, and others who are a part of K-12 school communities in California, Oregon, and Washington know they are in earthquake country. They do a good job practicing how to respond to ground shaking from earthquakes during drills and other exercises. Many K-12 school communities are now taking the critical next step by adding ShakeAlert-powered technology to their earthquake preparedness toolbox. With potential seconds of warning, automated alerts (typically delivered via the school’s public address system) prompt people to Drop, Cover, and Hold On as an important life-safety protective action before strong shaking reaches their location.
The ShakeAlert Ready Schools project is facilitated by the U.S. Geological Survey and state partners in California, Oregon, and Washington. All agree that taking an immediate protective action requires ongoing practice … because seconds matter!
This 8-minute video offers a tour of ShakeAlert Ready Schools resources for teachers, administrators, and parents/guardians.
Administrator Planning Guide
The ShakeAlert Ready Administrator Planning Guide offers suggestions to help school administrators and teachers implement earthquake early warning resources, including links to grade-appropriate teaching content and community outreach information based on the school-year schedule.
ShakeAlert Ready Schools Webinar for Administrators
The ShakeAlert team offers a facilitated webinar to help school administrators and other staff become familiar with how ShakeAlert works in your school. Also discussed are available resources to help students and community members understand earthquake early warning and protective actions to take when they feel shaking or get an alert.
Suggested Time of Year:August/September Presentation Length: 3 minutes
This presentation is a brief introduction or reminder about how earthquake early warning works and how to respond to shaking or an alert. Speaker notes are provided.
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This presentation will help parents and guardians understand how ShakeAlert works in your school, as well as how to respond and prepare for earthquakes. It was designed to be shared at Parent Teacher Organization meetings, back-to-school nights, or similar meetings. Speaker notes are provided.
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This letter can sent home with students before ShakeAlert-powered lessons are taught to give parents and guardians the opportunity to discuss earthquake preparedness.
Suggested Time of Year: Anytime/During the October Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill Lesson Length: 60 minutes
This lesson teaches earthquake early warning and how to practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On, while incorporating activities aligned with Common Core mathematics standards. A worksheet and an answer key are linked below.
This fun, 30-minute activity involves learners physically modeling how an earthquake happens and is detected, and how people and automated systems are alerted so they can take a protective action appropriate for the situation.
In this activity, learners use a simple model to explore frequency as it relates to earthquake waves and their impact on the built environment. Learners may discover that higher frequency earthquake waves tend to cause more severe shaking in shorter buildings, while lower frequency earthquake waves tend to cause more severe shaking in taller buildings.
Suggested Time of Year: Anytime/During the October Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill Lesson Length: 15 minutes
These lessons provide the earthquake early warning and protective action information similar to our grade-specific curricula, but in a more essential, quicker-to-teach format.
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ShakeAlert Ready Schools helps build earthquake resilience throughout the entire school community. Personalized, no-cost professional assistance is available to help you implement ShakeAlert Ready Schools. Please let us know how we can work with you.
Email rdegroot@usgs.gov for more information or to schedule a facilitated webinar for your staff.
Explore additional ShakeAlert resources at ShakeAlert.org.
Partner Resources
USGS/ShakeAlert is not responsible for the accuracy or currency of partner resources.
For more information about installing ShakeAlert-powered technology in schools, contact: Robert-Michael de Groot, PhD USGS Coordinator for Communication, Education, Outreach, and Technical Engagement ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System rdegroot@usgs.gov or by phone at 626-372-3262
