Evaluating Earthquake Preparedness

Category:Investigation/Inquiry

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will determine earthquake safety procedures.
   
2. Students will evaluate earthquake safety and preparedness in the school.
   
3. Students will interpret data, formulate, and instigate a plan to improve earthquake preparedness within the school.

Materials, equipment and/or facilities:
(For groups of five students)

• Handout: GOVERNOR'S EARTHQUAKE DISASTER TEAM for each student
• Handout: EARTHQUAKE SAFETY CLASSROOM CHECKLIST
• Small map of school (on overhead transparency if available)
• Overhead projector (optional)
• Poster board or butcher paper
• Markers and/or crayon

Check with the building custodian to see if it is feasible to take students on a tour of the basement or crawl space of the school to determine building age, construction etc.

Send a note home to parents informing them of the project and ask them to work with their child make their home more safe in the event of an earthquake.

Sequence and duration of each part of lesson:

INTRODUCTION (10 MINUTES):

Ask the students to close their eyes and listen very carefully to what you are about to tell them. Read the following to the students:

There was no forewarning as the sun rose over the Wasatch Mountains on that crisp winter morning. Many were still asleep, dreaming peacefully of the upcoming Christmas season. For many nights afterward, their dreams would be replaced with nightmares of the terrible tragedy that was forthcoming that morning. They had all been warned. Geologists had said that it was coming. It was expected. Few, however, could comprehend, as the low rumbling sound from deep beneath the surface turned into a haunting roar, that the Earth could contain such a destructive and deadly force within. Few were truly prepared. At 8:06 on that cold, clear morning, the lives of the people that lived along the Wasatch Front would change forever. Some would die. Everyone would suffer. Freeway overpasses buckled with the continued rising and falling of the ground beneath the concrete pillars. It was the middle of the morning rush hour. It was a bad time for an earthquake but it's always a bad time for an earthquake. Some of the deaths could have been prevented. Many of the older buildings could not stand up to the jolting motion of the deadly waves as they spread from the epicenter of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake centered below the valley floor. Roofs collapsed, windows shattered, and walls crumbled. Many of the schools along the Wasatch Front were built before Utah's stringent earthquake building code was developed. School had just started for many as the shaking began. (From STS Physical/Earth text - Utah State Office of Education)

Tell the students that although the above account was fictitious, the probability exists that the Wasatch Front could experience an earthquake similar to the one that was described. Ask the students to think about how safe they would be in the event of an earthquake at their school. Tell the students that the project they are about to complete will help make the school safer in the event of an earthquake and help them to realize what to do in the event of an earthquake.

LEARNING ACTIVITY (3-4 DAYS):

1. Divide students into groups of five and distribute handouts.
2. Read the handout aloud with the class.
3. (Get prior approval of building administrator)
   Tell students that the investigator and the president will be allowed to survey the school for this project, but they must not interrupt any classes while conducting the survey.
4. Give a map of the school to each group. (If one is not available, students will have to construct their own. If possible, use a school map on a overhead transparency.) Instruct the students on the use of overhead projectors so they may enlarge the map to a 4' X 4' size.
5. Pass out the EARTHQUAKE SAFETY CLASSROOM CHECKLIST to the students. Evaluate the classroom for earthquake safety with the students.
6. Allow students time to survey the school, complete the remainder of the assignment, and present it to the class.
7. Present the collaborative findings and suggestions of all the students to the school administration.
8. Allow each group of students to design and carry out a plan to make improvements to specific potentially unsafe areas of the school when feasible.

EVALUATION:
Assessment will be based on self evaluation, the quality of the presentation to the class, and the improvements made to areas of the school.

NOTES, ADAPTATIONS, AND EXTENSIONS:

1. Have the students construct a similar map of a business and/or Elementary school nearby.
2. Invite a guest speaker such as a contractor or engineer to explain what can be done to make existing buildings more earthquake proof.

GOVERNOR'S EARTHQUAKE DISASTER TEAM

1. the structural safety of your school in the event of a major earthquake. You will report this information orally to the Utah State Department of Public Safety (the class) for recommendation of legislative increases of future funding. The following criteria should be used in developing the report.
   
   
   1. Determine what areas of your school are unsafe during an moderate or major earthquake.

   2. List the areas of the school could be made adequately safe without the appropriation of additional funds.

   3. List the areas of the school that would require additional state funding to ensure the safety of the students of the school.

   4. List and itemize approximately how much money would need to be allocated to make the above changes.

   5. Construct a 4' by 4' map of the School to present at the to the legislative committee along with the report. The map should include the following:
      • Highest risk areas highlighted in red.
      • Other probable risk areas highlighted in yellow.
      • Any areas that could be considered as a relatively safe area to be in the event of an earthquake should be highlighted in green.

2. A plan of action which will include the following:
   1. Determine at least one area of the school that could be made safer without major reconstruction or funds. Obtain the proper permission from the teacher, custodial staff, and/or administrator and make the improvement.

   2. Create a list of instructions that each student should be given each year regarding earthquake safety in the school.

   3. Identify three possible sources of funding to make the needed improvements at the school.

   4. Create a one page newspaper ad (word processed with graphics) that will persuade the public that the improvements should be funded and are necessary for their children's safety.

LIST OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS

1. GROUP PRESIDENT - Responsible for the coordination of the project and the presentation. Accompanies investigator on survey of school.
2. MAP MAKER - Responsible for making and labeling the map and key.
3. INVESTIGATOR - Responsible for determining the areas of the school that are unsafe during an earthquake.
4. RESEARCHER - Responsible for determining the costs of the proposed improvements. Also assists the group president in preparing the report.
5. GRAPHICS DESIGNER - Uses computer to prepare the newspaper advertisement.

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WHEN YOU HAVE MADE THE PRESENTATION, PLEASE TURN IN THIS SELF EVALUATION FORM.

NAME_______________________________

MY JOB WAS__________________________

THE GRADE I WOULD GIVE OUR PROJECT IS:	A	B	C	D	E	F
THE GRADE I WOULD GIVE MYSELF IS:	A	B	C	D	E	F

COMMENTS:

OTHER GROUP MEMBERS:

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

EARTHQUAKE SAFETY CLASSROOM CHECKLIST

INVESTIGATORS:

Are all the tops of full size filing cabinets secured to the wall?	Safe	Unsafe
Do file cabinet doors have secure latches?	Safe	Unsafe
Are display cases and aquariums protected from falling off of table or stands?	Safe	Unsafe
Are desktop computers securely fastended to work desks?	Safe	Unsafe
Are office machines secured to the floor and located in areas where they cannot fall and restrict exits?	Safe	Unsafe
Are cabinets, closets and bookshelves secured to the wall and/or attached to each other?	Safe	Unsafe
Are desks and table located where they cannot block exits?	Safe	Unsafe
Is floor supported, shop equipment wecured against sliding or overturning?	Safe	Unsafe
Is equipment on wheels protected against rolling?	Safe	Unsafe
Are fire extinguishers mounted securely?	Safe	Unsafe
Are potted plants and othe heavy items restrained?	Safe	Unsafe
Will hanging light fixtures swing freely without hitting each other if allowed to swing 45 degrees?	Safe	Unsafe
Are ceiling panels securely attached?	Safe	Unsafe
Do fluorescent light fixtures have support other than ceiling grids?	Safe	Unsafe
Are wall mounted objects that weigh more than five pounds anchored to the framing of the building?	Safe	Unsafe
Are sharp or breakable wall decorations mounted securely? (Closed eye hook.)	Safe	Unsafe
Are books stored on shelves restrained from falling?	Safe	Unsafe
Are laboratory chemicals on shelves restrained?	Safe	Unsafe
Are chemical storage areas vented and located away from exits and halls? Is there an up-to-date inventory of all chemicals stored?	Safe	Unsafe

List all hazards not mentioned above: