Earthquake Drill Held at Cacoon Castle All-Age

The Cacoon Castle All-age School in Western Hanover was yesterday (Jan. 14) the site of an earthquake evacuation drill, organised by the Hanover Parish Council to mark Earthquake Awareness Day in Schools.
The 170 students and eight teachers at the institution participated in the drill, which was designed to test their readiness for earthquakes. The Hanover division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade assisted in the exercise, which was preceded by a short lecture.
Disaster Preparedness Coordinator at the Parish Council, Olga Headley, in an interview with JIS News following the drill, expressed satisfaction with the exercise, noting the orderliness of the students in evacuating the two-storey building. She credited the efficiency of the exercise to the fact that the school has an emergency plan in place, which is reviewed and tested on a regular basis.
In the meantime, she informed that a number of schools and businesses throughout the parish will be visited during the course of Earthquake Awareness Week, which concludes on January 17, as part of the disaster sensitisation effort.
She indicated that institutions visited to date have been very receptive.
Sergeant Courtney Nembhard of the Hanover Fire Brigade also had commendations for Cacoon Castle All-age, noting that the students and teachers showed maturity in carrying out the exercise and following the instructions given.
Earthquake Awareness Week is being observed under the theme: ‘Earthquakes have no season: do your part.be earthquake smart’.