Yesterday I participated in my first earthquake/tsunami drill. Technically, we've had them before but I have not been involved. I got the memo but it was in Japanese...
This was a new concept for me having only been in tornado, hurricane and stranger danger drills...
I was teaching a 1st grade class when the alarm sounded and the head teacher made an announcement on the PA system...
Head Teacher: This is an earthquake. Please take cover.
They students lined up in the back of the room in the fetal position to protect their heads from any falling debris. The teacher and I also opened any windows. After the earthquake was over we were running outside...
In school I was taught to NEVER run in the hallways even during an emergency. It was extremely liberating. After an appropriate amount of time outside we ran back inside because there was a potential tsunami coming...
Once on the roof we had a school meeting and told the students there was no actual earthquake or tsunami (hopefully most of them already knew).
This was just a drill, but Japan experiences earthquakes almost daily. Please keep the Japanese people in your thoughts and prayers.
