Medford Schools promotes the Earthquake Warning System – Medford News, weather, sports and breaking news

Fourth grader Ellie Modjesky (right) and her classmates move under desks during earthquake drill at Oak Grove Elementary School on Tuesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]

Students in Ms. Allison Gaderama’s fourth-grade class looked a bit nervous Tuesday afternoon, moments after an announcement about the public address system at Oak Grove Elementary told them earthquake drill was about to begin.

“Did he say hide under a chair?” Guaderrama asked.

“number!” Her students responded in unison.

“Under ___,” Guaderrama said, prompting her young children to complete the sentence.

“Desk!” said the students.

And with that, the Guaderrama students did what they were instructed to do: “drop, cover, hold on, protect yourself” as they all scramble together under attached desks.

“Earthquake! Earthquake! Expect shaking!” the PA announcement read.

Of course, the tremor never came. But if that happens, Oak Grove Elementary students will be prepared, thanks to the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system.

The system is operated by the USGS, and the Medford School District is the only K-12 institution in the state to fully implement the system. School district officials said Tuesday that Providence Medford Medical Center and the City of Grants Pass water department are the only other Rogue Valley entities that share that distinction.

“Safety and security is one of our core values ​​that we have invested in,” said Brett Champion, Medford School District Superintendent, before noting the unique investment in ShakeAlert. “(It) allows us a few seconds, dozens of seconds, before an earthquake hits, to get ready and get everyone ready.”

Champion noted that Medford is “in the shadow” of the Cascadia subduction zone, the Earth’s plate boundary that stretches from Vancouver, British Columbia, to northern California. A 2013 report by the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Committee found that the state was “simply not prepared for such an event,” which could result in economic losses of at least $32 billion.

“It’s not about if, but when,” Champion said Tuesday. “We’re looking for every second we can find.”

The Cascadia subduction zone earthquake of 1700 was estimated to have a magnitude of 8.7 to 9.2. By comparison, the Scotts Mills earthquake in 1993 registered a magnitude of 5.6. These events were observed by Eric Detmer, professor emeritus of geology at Southern Oregon University, who helped get the ShakeAlert system up for the region.

“The ShakeAlert system is one of those proactive systems that you don’t come across as often as you’d like,” Detmer said.

Dettmer explained how ShakeAlert is not an earthquake predictor, because one has to happen for the system to work.

He said, “The farther you go from it, the more you will be warned.” “Think about what you would do if you had 20 to 30 seconds to find the best place you’ve already logged in, and have the students not be in such a panic and the adult educators to guide them through the safeguards process.”

ShakeAlert uses 1,400 seismic sensors positioned along California, Oregon and Washington to monitor the release of energy within the Earth. The sensors process that energy, which is in the form of P and S waves, according to Ron Haffnier, director of facilities and leadership development for the Medford School District.

“Over time, they spread out, and we can get the signature of those initial waves first,” Haffnier said. “We can present that to a processing center, and then push it out to members of a specific community.”

Robert D. Groot, chief of operations for the USGS, said ShakeAlert is not a new program, but it is an innovator among schools.

“We know that there are important facilities where early warning of earthquakes is useful,” said de Groot. “One of these is the learning environment.”

He noted the “significant” achievement of the Medford School District among the state’s primary and secondary education institutions.

“Medford is very thoughtful about making sure that early earthquake warning is built into critical facilities,” said de Groot. “It’s just a matter of getting the word out. It’s a big job. There needs to be a conversation about earthquake early warning in schools.”

It was there at Oak Grove Elementary on Tuesday when fourth-grader Ellie Modjesky took part in a practice with her peers.

“The alarm went off, so we went under a desk and covered our necks,” she said. “It was mostly calm.”

Modjeski thought it was important to do the earthquake exercise.

“Now that I know what to expect, what to listen for, and when an earthquake happens, I can get under the desk faster,” she said.

Haffnier talked about the importance of preparation, such as Tuesday’s training, and the bigger picture of protecting schools.

“When the time for execution comes,” he said, “the time for preparation is over.” “This foundation of preparation helps us not only respond better, but also deter the cascading effects of a larger disaster.”

Contact journalist Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.

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