Riverton school students prepare for double threat during ShakeOut

Riverton Primary School was one of many schools around Southland and New Zealand that took part in the ShakeOut national earthquake drill and tsunami hīkoi (walk) to higher ground on 27 October. Just after 9.30am, the school bell rang and students dived under their desks practicing the Drop, Cover, Hold action.

Principal Tim Page says as Riverton was really close to the sea there was a fair chance that a large earthquake could be followed by a tsunami.

“If there’s a tsunami we have to head to higher ground, which in our case, is the Riverton Racecourse.”

The Emergency Management Southland (EMS) team visited the school along with Aparima College, Riverton Kindergarten and Riverton Childcare during the ShakeOut.

In the hall afterwards, EMS community advisor Mallory Wood asked students if they had experienced an earthquake and almost every hand went up.

“New Zealand experienced about 20,000 earthquakes a year – and because of that everyone needed to be prepared,” Mallory says.

Students asked heaps of questions – many around what would happen if people were out fishing.

Year 6 student Kyla Tohiariki, 11, says she experienced a big earthquake in Blenheim.

“The bed was shaking and I waited for my aunty to come. It was scary, but I knew what to do.”

Her Year 6 classmate Georgia Eade, 10, has experienced both an earthquake at night at home and one while at school. “There was one at school where we could see the lights moving, and one in the middle of the night where the cat started meowing.”

Tim says knowing what to do in an earthquake was instinctively embedded in students’ heads.

“We’re pretty prepared here and having the support of EMS and the emergency services also really helps.”

For more information check out www.cdsouthland.nz