More than 1,500 students and staff took a few minutes out of their school day at 10:19 a.m. on 10/19 to participate in an earthquake drill, an annual rehearsal should a quake strike the region. Millions of people were expected to take part in the International ShakeOut Day, where people at schools, businesses and homes practice safety measures in preparation for an earthquake.

Coincidentally, on Oct. 18, the day before the drill, an earthquake shook parts of Contra Costa County, including Northgate. The United Stated Geological Survey determined that the 9:30 a.m. quake was centered in Isleton in Sacramento County, registering 4.1 on the Richter scale, which measures the magnitude of earthquakes.

Seniors Anusha Diyyala and Jodi Wong both experienced the Oct. 18 earthquake. “I was walking to class and I felt a little shake – I heard people yelling and screaming dramatically – I was confused,” Wong said.

Diyyala shared her experience as well. “I walked past the bathroom on the way to my class and overheard girls talking about the earthquake, and then I realized what the slight shake before was.”

“I honestly didn’t feel the earthquake at all,” junior Ashlyn Victa said, but added that other friends did. “I was walking by the library and I just hears people passing by talk about it. I thought they were joking at first.”