LBCC participated in the annual Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill which took place at LAC and PCC on October 18.
The Great California Shakeout is an annual event that millions around the world participate in.
At 10:18 a.m. the LAC alarm signals that the earthquake drill is happening.
Students and faculty from buildings B, C, M, N, V, and T evacuated their buildings and some took cover under their desks.
History professor Sean Dinces who has class in the T building lead his class out during the drill. He praised how important the drill is.
“Even though this drill interrupts class a bit for me it’s important that students know how to react in a calm manner and know what precautions to take if an emergency where to happen,” Dinces said.
The drill starts at 10:18 a.m. where the faculty and students are instructed to get under their desks and then evacuate their classroom.
When the students evacuated their class room they stood outside for about five minutes until the drill is over.
Psychology major Jessica Sanchez liked being able to leave the classroom for a little while.
“I know this is a serious drill but being able to go outside for a minute is really calming especially since I have a quiz when we come back,” Sanchez said.
Some teachers continued to teach their class during the drill outside on the grass.
Business professor Emad Faltas was one of the teachers that was still teaching his students outside.
“Teaching outside is always a refreshing act and students tend to really like it, I might even teach another class outside before the semester is over,” Faltas said.
Interim Deputy Director for Planning and Construction Brendan Hayes discussed the process of putting the drill together.
“We begin to plan in January to identify the different emergency practices for the entire year. We meet in March with different stakeholders to plan the Great Annual Shakeout. This multi-departmental group includes facilities, communications, parking services, operations, grounds, and event services,” Hayes said.
Hayes continues to explain the setup of the drill when it comes closer to it’s date. “A month prior to the drill, we define responsibilities for each area, as well as figuring out logistics and management. We also begin to spread the word about the upcoming drill and ask for student, faculty and staff participation,” Hayes said.