I've been meaning to write a post on this topic for awhile, as it gives a glimpse into one of Iquique's unique characteristics. It is definitely one that could cause a mom to get quite nervous if she allowed herself to dwell on certain possibilities.
You see, among the many brand-new things my girls have had to learn in Chilean school this year have been two emergency drills. Not fire drills, mind you. (I don't know if they actually have a contingency plan for that.) But they do have contingency plans for the two emergencies most feared in this city: earthquakes and tsunamis.
Yep, there exists the distinct possibility that one day we may be shaken from our foundations and swallowed up by the sea. How lovely! Fortunately for my daughters' state of mind, they don't really understand what the drills are for and as long as they follow the safety instructions they are given I think that in this case, innocence may just be bliss.
For temblor (tremor) drills, as Isabel calls them, the children are summoned to the courtyard of the school where they are taught to crouch while covering their head with their arms. The second part of the drill involves all the children marching up the hill to a playground on higher ground, where presumably they are out of the danger of a tsunami.
(Personally I don't really understand how anyone can claim to know how far a tsunami would reach since we've never had one, but I like to believe that the people are right who say this playground - and our own house, for that matter - are high enough to be out of the danger zone.)
The girls actually think the drills are kind of fun, since they have the chance to leave the school property and take a sunny walk with friends. I'm glad they are learning important safety concepts. But most of all, I'm glad we can trust the One who controls the shaking of the shores and the swelling of the deep blue sea!
You see, among the many brand-new things my girls have had to learn in Chilean school this year have been two emergency drills. Not fire drills, mind you. (I don't know if they actually have a contingency plan for that.) But they do have contingency plans for the two emergencies most feared in this city: earthquakes and tsunamis.
Yep, there exists the distinct possibility that one day we may be shaken from our foundations and swallowed up by the sea. How lovely! Fortunately for my daughters' state of mind, they don't really understand what the drills are for and as long as they follow the safety instructions they are given I think that in this case, innocence may just be bliss.
For temblor (tremor) drills, as Isabel calls them, the children are summoned to the courtyard of the school where they are taught to crouch while covering their head with their arms. The second part of the drill involves all the children marching up the hill to a playground on higher ground, where presumably they are out of the danger of a tsunami.
(Personally I don't really understand how anyone can claim to know how far a tsunami would reach since we've never had one, but I like to believe that the people are right who say this playground - and our own house, for that matter - are high enough to be out of the danger zone.)
The girls actually think the drills are kind of fun, since they have the chance to leave the school property and take a sunny walk with friends. I'm glad they are learning important safety concepts. But most of all, I'm glad we can trust the One who controls the shaking of the shores and the swelling of the deep blue sea!
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