STAUNTON, Va -- Students at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind took part in an earthquake drill, but they executed the drill a little differently than most schools would.
The way to stay safe during an earthquake is to drop, cover and hold on. To get that message across to the unique students of VSDB, the newly installed alert system goes off with lights for deaf students and an audible message for the blind.
Thursday's drill was only one of many drills that the school has. It was important for everyone at VSDB to be prepared in a case of an emergency.
“We do drill extensively throughout the school year,” said Blake Porter, director of public safety at VSDB. “We do real heavy drilling in the first four weeks of school every year to get everybody prepared. Hopefully, we're at the highest level of readiness should we have the actual emergency occur.”
The students are taught the drop, cover and hold on technique in advance. The lights and audible message are only a secondary precaution due to the unpredictable nature of earthquakes.
