The earthquake drill, phase by phase

1. Alarm During the drill, the 1 minute alarm indicates earthquake or shaking.
2. Response While the alarm is ongoing, everyone should perform duck, cover and hold. Remain in this position until the shaking stops.

   • Take cover under a sturdy table and hold on to your cover until the shaking stops.
   • Use a book to cover your head.
   • Hide under an armchair where there is no table.
3. Evacuation As soon as the shaking stops, immediately evacuate the building and proceed to identified evacuation areas using the pre-determined routes, guided by the class marshall or teacher.
4. Assembly At the designated evacuation area, students are grouped together according to the class where they belong.
5. Head count Teachers check and make sure all students are accounted for.
6. Evaluation The overall coordinator announces the termination of the drill, or all clear. An evaluation is then conducted to identify problems encountered during the drill and how they can be improved next time. Observers give their comments and suggestions when everyone is gathered in the evacuation area.

Source: PHIVOLCS, How to Conduct an Earthquake Drill in School: Primer for Teachers (printed October 2011 by DOST-PHIVOLCS). Read 23 September 2026. Linked from the PHIVOLCS Earthquake Preparedness page as a scanned two-page primer. Every phase and stage on this page was read from that scan on 23 September 2026.

1. Planning Form a School Disaster Management Committee with an overall coordinator and seven teams: first aid, fire safety, communication, building safety inspection, evacuation, and site security. Prepare an earthquake survival kit. The committee keeps a yearly update of the school population, the most recent school map, and the floor plan of every building.
2. Developing the evacuation plan Use the open spaces nearest the building and set a buffer zone away from it. Work out whether there is enough room for everyone, counting one square metre per person, and check that the evacuation route does not take anyone past a new hazard on the way out.
3. Orientation before the drill Run the lectures, walk the classrooms looking for hazards, introduce the evacuation plan and the assigned area, and post the evacuation map in every classroom. Assign someone to hold the door open during shaking, assign a class marshall, assign observers and evaluators, tell the neighbourhood the drill is happening, and check the alarm works.
4. The drill itself Run the six phases above, in order, from the alarm through to the evaluation.

Source: PHIVOLCS, How to Conduct an Earthquake Drill in School: Primer for Teachers (printed October 2011 by DOST-PHIVOLCS). Read 23 September 2026. Linked from the PHIVOLCS Earthquake Preparedness page as a scanned two-page primer. Every phase and stage on this page was read from that scan on 23 September 2026.