What is the difference between earthquake drills practiced in elementary school and EC? College students often leave afterward without returning to class.

EC is preparing yet again for another Great California Shakeout drill, one that will be an inconvenience for the classes being held at that hour on our campus and every school that is participating in the drill.

To ease the potential panic and damages that could emerge from a potential earthquake, we are told to calmly evacuate the buildings in an orderly fashion. Anyone that has see any Michael Bay film has witnessed that when the ground shakes, whether by natural or man made disaster, people loose their sensibility and become sheep-like, and there isn’t enough manpower to herd everyone at once.

No matter the number of times we practice to calmly march through hallways in an orderly fashion, there are no guarantees as to what will happen once panic enters the bloodstream. For those of us that are claustrophobic, agoraphobic, have asthma, low blood sugar, high blood pressure, or are just more prone to freaking out – what will happen when students begin dropping like flies or get trampled on will be far different than any drill.

EC administration and campus police claim to be as well prepared as possible due to years of experience, but will getting the students physically out of buildings be enough? What happens after that? How will students get home?

As far as communication goes, how prepared are we as a community if cell towers go down? Although imagining the inability to use smartphones alone could potentially put the country into an uncontrollable frenzy. The lack of access to social media and instant messaging, putting selfie posts on the back burner – oh the humanity.

In all seriousness, how will we be able to communicate with the rest of the campus, to reach other students, as well as the outside world? Is there a protocol for this type of potential disaster? And if so, how many students are aware of the necessary steps that need to be taken?

Aside from the obvious when evacuating, like staying away from hazardous areas like the Math Business Allied Health (MBA) Building and the Chemistry Building, how much emphasis is being put on evacuating safety? Considering the fact that safety isn’t as guaranteed as death in a disaster, this drill should have more emphasis on the level of seriousness.

So far the students of EC have received little information other than a few scattered fliers, and judging from EC’s participation in the Great Shake Out drill last year, little to no information will be provided by instructors, and no pamphlets or even general knowledge from staff aside from being told to go outside and not to leave. Last year of course, after melting in the heat for longer than expected, students were excused with no more knowledge than when the drill began.

This generation may be more prepared for the zombie apocalypse than an actual natural disaster like an earthquake, and that’s including South Bay locals that have practiced a similar drill all throughout grade school. Really think back to the last earthquake, one that was big enough to either wake you or startle you, did you walk out of your home calmly and in an orderly fashion?