Schools typically have periodic fire drills. When I attended elementary school in San Carlos, California, we would have Earthquake drills to accompany the fire drills. From kindergarten onward, we were trained to crouch underneath our desk and put our hands over our head in the event of an earthquake. When the earthquake drill sound was played over the PA system, everyone would immediately duck and cover! I never had to actually use my earthquake training, but I'm willing to bet that if there ever had been a real earthquake at school nothing like the procedure of the drill would have occurred. Earthquakes hit suddenly without warning and don't give anyone time to think about how to react, especially small children. Panic and screaming were more likely to have been the reaction. I doubt that much ducking and covering would have occurred.

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