Kids join in quake drill

With 2376 participants in the Stratford district, Shane Briggs, the senior emergency management officer for Taranaki Regional Council, says that everyone got in behind the drill, thanks to a lot of work from a lot of people.

Shane spent the morning of the ShakeOut last Wednesday at Ngaere School, talking to all the pupils about earthquakes and what they should do in the event of one. The children listened closely and enjoyed getting to drum their feet on the floor to simulate the noise of an actual earthquake. Shane then joined the year three students in Room Four, along with their teacher Jenny Dymond, in time for 9.26am and the New Zealand ShakeOut drill. "It was really good to be able to participate with them," says Shane, adding that the exercise highlighted how schools had really got in behind the drill in the region.

"It is not just school pupils who should participate in drills. As adults we often think we don't need to do them, but without practices we don't react as we think we will."