Home News Opinion Videos Blogs Features Family Notices Classifieds Photos Events Clubs Advertising Contact
Sport Focus on the Land Entertainment
Editorials Columns Letters
News Market Place
Children take cover and hold on until ‘the shaking’ stops
Wednesday, September 26, 2012 • Marino Harker-Smith
“EARTHQUAKE!” A teacher at Gisborne Central School announces.

The children duck for cover under the nearest desk and hold on to a table leg each until the “shaking” stops.

Central School was one of 43 schools in the region to take part in the National ShakeOut earthquake drill this morning.

With a roll of 412 students, it is one of the larger schools in the district but deputy prinicipal Sherrill Beale said in a real earthquake the teacher would just shout “earthquake” and the children would drop where they were and cover their heads.

But for the purposes of today’s ShakeOut, the fire drill alarm went off at 9.26am announcing the drill had started, children took cover under the nearest desk and held on to a table leg to stop it “bouncing away”, she said.

“The children are used to having a fire drill once a term so this is good practice for them.”

Mrs Beale said children have also been encouraged to take the message home and talk to their parents or caregivers about what to do in an earthquake.

“Because an earthquake can strike at any time, not necessarily when at school,” she said.

As Gisborne people know, the last big shake here in 2007 occurred at around 8.30pm.

Strengthening work had been done on school buildings as a result of that earthquake and a crack in the school’s 25 metre pool also had to be repaired, said caretaker Boyce Kirikino.

He added that the Gisborne Central pool was unique in that it was the biggest swimming pool at a primary school in the district.
HANG ON TIGHT: Central School students (from left), Isaac Luton, Ralph Allen, Sophie Bava and Ella Watson joined more than 1.3 million New Zealanders — a quarter of the country’s population — including 13,117 Gisborne people at 9.26am today for the Civil Defence National Shakeout earthquake drill. Picture by Paul Rickard
Comments
No comments - be the first to comment
Poll

Do you agree with a bid to pull bridge jumpers away from unsafe road bridges in the city by building “bombing platforms” for youngsters in safe places along the Turanganui River?

Please read: Call for ‘bombing platforms’
Yes
No
Don't Know
Send in your
News
Letters
Columns
Events
Clubs
Classifieds
Poll suggestions
Explore The Gisborne Herald
News Editorial Features Events
Sport Letters to the Editor Family Notices Clubs
Focus on the Land Columns Classifieds Advertising
News Features Polls Photos Contact
64 Gladstone Road, PO Box 1143, Gisborne, New Zealand | Ph: +64 6 869 0600 | Fax: +64 6 869 0643 (editorial) | Fax: +64 6 869 0644 (advertising) | News Hotline: 0800 NEWSLINE (639 754) | info@gisborneherald.co.nz Copyright © The Gisborne Herald