In a wake of catastrophic earthquake in Nepal left behind a trail of destruction, Gurgaon schools are gearing up for mock drill to evacuate the buildings and use safety measure in the tremor conditions.
As the entire region of Gurgaon falls in high risk seismic zone IV making it highly vulnerable for earthquakes there are more reasons why a Gurgaon school should be better prepared and alert.
The first reports of tremors came in at 12:40 on Tuesday. The Heritage School principal Kaye Jacob wrote a letter to all the parents and guardians. He is a part of the letter- “We are grateful that within minutes the building was evacuated, all individuals were accounted for, no one was injured and that no damage was sustained.”
The letter continued, “Teachers took attendance and reported in to programme leaders. In the meantime, the emergency response team checked the building for stragglers and the medical team was placed on standby”.
The schools have to prepare themselves for such difficult situations. Jyoti, a parent from Lotus Valley International School says, “The strong tremors of destructive earthquake have made all of us very worried. Schools should have all kinds of safety measures ready. All schools should train their teachers and students for these unkind situations.”
“Workshops / Programmes on earthquake risk mitigation should become a regular affair with schools. This should not be remembered once in a year,” tells Deepika, a parent from Lotus Valley International School.
After the massive earthquake in Nepal and regular tremors being felt by other parts of the country there is a need to sensitize all on this aspect.