By Khalida Sarwari
Students at Santa Clara University will be better prepared for a massive earthquake following an earthquake simulator exercise at the school this morning.
The exercise was part of the university’s emergency preparedness campaign intended to teach students, faculty and staff emergency preparedness and survival skills.
Alex Tavera, a senior who helped coordinate the event, said the exercise made students more conscious of how to respond to an earthquake.
“A lot of people have been apprehensive. They don’t really want to step into an earthquake,” Tavera said. “They come out of it realizing how unprepared they are.”
Because almost half of the student population is from out of state, school officials say most of the student body has never felt an earthquake, and those who have are not prepared for the big one.
“Santa Clara University’s priority is the safety of its students. So, we want to take this opportunity to show students what earthquakes feel like, what they should do, when there’s an earthquake, and how they can prepare now, before the real one hits,” university student advisor Sarah Maciel said in a statement.
Today’s exercise simulated an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, which was achieved with the “Quake Cottage” by Safe-T Proof. The simulator rests on a double-axle tandem trailer with a self-powered, three-dimensional movement driven by an engine that thrusts the 2,000-pound house with calculated strength.