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California Watch explores earthquake safety
Ready to Rumble: California Watch explores earthquake safety By Ashley Alvarado Illustrated by Deanna Ewers Additional design by Thomas O’Quinn Copy edited by Nikki Frick © 2011 Center for Investigative Reporting. All rights reserved.
Hi, everybody! My name is Sunny. I want to talk to you about earthquake safety. The ground beneath your feet feels firm, but an earthquake can make it move, shake and even crack.
Join me and my friends as we learn about earthquakes.
An earthquake is caused when tectonic plates, or large slabs of the earth’s crust, push together really hard. When that happens, waves of energy are sent out underground. That’s why the ground shakes. Schools are supposed to be built extra strong, but things can become unsafe during an earthquake. It is always good to be prepared.
TRUE OR FALSE QUIZ How much do you know about earthquakes? Take Sunny’s true-or-false quiz to find out. 1 Earthquakes are easily predicted. TRUE / FALSE 2 Every year, there are thousands of earthquakes
in California. TRUE / FALSE 3 The outside layer of the earth is known as the crust. TRUE / FALSE 4 A tsunami is a powerful sea wave caused by an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption. TRUE / FALSE 5 Earthquakes are measured in inches. TRUE / FALSE 6 Southern California has about 10,000 earthquakes each year. TRUE / FALSE 7 We can feel most earthquakes. TRUE / FALSE 8 The earth’s crust is divided like a giant jigsaw puzzle, and the pieces are called tectonic plates. TRUE / FALSE 9 The tectonic plates always fit together perfectly. TRUE / FALSE { Most earthquakes occur along faults. TRUE / FALSE
Aftershock:
A smaller, weaker earthquake that can follow major quakes as broken underground rocks settle
Crust:
Earth’s outside layer
Earthquake:
A shaking of the ground caused by the breaking of underground rocks
Epicenter:
The point on the planet’s surface above the underground origin of an earthquake
Fault:
Answers: 1 FALSE 2 TRUE 3 TRUE 4 TRUE 5 FALSE 6 TRUE 7 FALSE 8 TRUE 9 FALSE 10 TRUE
A weak area or crack in the earth’s crust where two tectonic plates meet
WORD SEARCH
Try to find these hidden earthquake terms! V K L C M S T U W W R T E A X Q E E L E E Y R P M X A G K F K K T I C U E X A U F A X I A L S S T Z T C F S T S B E U F U M O N N R P P E E V L Q A R I N M E Z T T R D W D H U C C I D C M E U S U R A T L N B C T I Z G G H T V C R T J K P Y P N E S O I R T A R K G L P E R O I C N V E E M E M A K F M X F K G T T F C G C T K M W F F M A H R N O D K E R J L M Z G M F M Q L Z H S Z P K F T V Z
GLOSSARY
AFTERSHOCK CRUST EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER FAULT FIELD ACT MAGNITUDE SEISMIC TECTONIC PLATES
Field Act:
A law that requires careful design and inspected construction for public K–12 schools
Magnitude:
The strength or amount of energy released by an earthquake
Seismic:
Something that is caused by or related to an earthquake
Tectonic Plates: Large slabs of the earth’s crust
In the case of an earthquake, remember to DROP! COVER! AND HOLD ON!
Drop! Cover! Hold on!
Circle the places that are safe to duck and cover under during an earthquake. Put an X on the things you should avoid.
Enter to win a fun prize pack with DVDs, an emergency kit and toys. Send this page to: California Watch Attn: Sunny 2130 Center St., Suite 103 Berkeley, CA 94704 Go to www.californiawatch.org for details. ANSWER: It is safe to take cover under your desk or a table, but avoid the lights, bookcase, window and doorframe.
MY EMERGENCY CONTACTS When an earthquake happens, contact cards help emergency workers care for you. Use this page to write down the phone numbers of a trusted adult who lives near you and another one who lives out of town. Then cut out the card and keep it in your emergency pack. Talk to your family about your emergency plans. When an earthquake does strike, stay calm and think. Together, we have learned how to be prepared.
EMERGENCY PACK Everybody needs an emergency pack. Circle the items you need to keep in your backpack or cubby in order to stay safe in the event of an earthquake.
FIRST AID KIT
EMERGENCY CONTACT Name: Number:
EMERGENCY CONTACT SHEET WHISTLE FIRST AID KIT SNACK WATER BOTTLE KEEP THE FOLLOWING ITEMS IN YOUR BACKBACK OR CUBBY:
Hey, buddies! Together, we have learned a lot about earthquakes and how to stay safe at school when an earthquake hits. Now that we have reached the end of our coloring book, it’s time to say goodbye.
Luckily, there is still time for you to become a California Watchdog just like me. If you have questions about your school’s safety, write to your school board. Just ask a grown-up to go online to www.californiawatch .org/readytorumble to look up the contact information. You’ll also find tips on how to write a letter. To learn more about getting ready for emergencies, visit websites like www.sesame street.org/ready and www.redcross roommates.org. Thanks for taking this time to learn about earthquake safety with me and my pals.
Sunny
is a project of the Center for Investigative Reporting, the nation’s oldest nonprofit and independent investigative news organization. With the largest team of investigative journalists in the state, California Watch exposes injustice, waste and wrongdoing so that those responsible are held accountable – and so you have the information needed to spark change and find solutions. CALIFORNIA WATCH
As a nonprofit working in the public interest, we rely on contributions from people like you. Please visit www.californiawatch.org/donate to support California Watch and keep Sunny and the rest of our team barking.
This coloring book is available in English, Spanish, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese and Vietnamese. o dy t Reaumble R al ntos ¡Ateemblor! t
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California Watch, a project of the Center for Investigative Reporting, is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the California Endowment, the Wyncote Foundation, the Panta Rhea Foundation and other foundations and individuals. “Ready to Rumble� was brought to you in part thanks to the generous contributions of:
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