At approximately 11 a.m. on Dec. 5, the National Weather Service sent out a tsunami warning to Northern California residents. Despite the warning eventually being recalled, the incident reminded California residents of the real threat of natural disasters. In California, the most common natural disasters are earthquakes, extreme heat waves and droughts. In the face of disaster, governmental agencies and individuals have methods to prepare for life threatening situations.
“It’s definitely good to be prepared for anything that could happen,” said junior Giovanni Viglienzoni. “If you have to get out of your house quickly, like during an earthquake, it’s good to have a go-bag of essentials just in case.”
However, when combatting a natural disaster, students can also take action during the event.
“When it comes to others such as droughts and heat waves, I just take it day by day,” Viglienzoni said. “In a drought, I try not to use more water than I need to, and in a heat wave, I make sure not to be outside for a super long time, or try to go swimming.”
In addition to the importance of preparedness within a household, preparation for natural disasters in schools and workplaces is very important as well.
To combat natural disasters like earthquakes, Aragon follows a district-wide protocol: The Big Five safety protocol, which includes the drop, cover and hold, evacuation, shelter in place, lockdown/barricade and secure campus. The Big Five safety protocol is often practiced at Aragon.
“[At] any school site, we need to be prepared for the absolute worst,” said Assistant Principal Andrew Hartig. “So we do prepare for natural disasters, especially earthquakes … Part of the reason we do drills is not to have people practice what to do, but to expose the flaws or the things that we could do better… [After our last drill], we actually debriefed in a Zoom meeting altogether. We had superintendent Booker there in the meeting, our Director of Student Services there, principals, assistant principals and facilities managers all weighing in on how each site did.”
Furthermore, every classroom and office space at Aragon is equipped with a red emergency bag that includes first aid supplies and water.
Aragon is also prepared for the case in which students would have to stay on campus for an extended period of time and provide a safe space for the surrounding neighborhoods.
“The district has been working with all sites to have emergency supplies in a separate shed, including things like food and disaster toilets,” Hartig said. “All school sites also function as places in the community where the community can go in the event of a natural disaster.”
Global warming has led to an increase in the amount of natural disasters. According to the International Disaster Database, the number of recorded natural disasters has increased by 80% in the last ten years. Therefore, a strong correlation between global warming and the rise of natural disasters is evident.
In 2022, California experienced high levels of rainfall after years of drought, extreme weather brought on by climate change, leading to widespread flooding, power outages and falling trees. Aragon’s disaster preparedness extended to their facilities crew during this time when a tree crashed on Alameda.
“Our facilities crew are amazing individuals,” Hartig said. “They’re constantly out and about looking at our facilities. So they actually noticed that some of the trees looked like they were leaning and there was also a community member who brought to our attention one tree out near Alameda. We were made aware ahead of time, and then part of what we did was to cordon off areas where students couldn’t go.”
In addition to physical damage, mental and psychological impacts can take a toll on a community. According to research from the University of Washington, one-third to one-half of the people exposed to natural disasters could develop mental distress such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or anxiety.
Though California isn’t as affected by natural disasters as other states, it has proved to play a central role in society, which has prompted early preparations in many families’ households along with Aragon.
