The Adventures of Terry the Turtle and Gracie the Wonder Dog Grades 3-6 FEMA 531 August 2005 Federal Emergency Management Agency National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Cover Illustration: This illustration shows Gracie the Wonder Dog wearing a hard hat, cape, and Seismic Patrol badge and flying through the sky. Seal of the State of Washington. Produced by agreement with: Washington Military Department Emergency Management Division Lori Dent-Cleveland, Author Lenore Doyle, Publication Design Lori Heckman, Illustrator George Crawford, Earthquake Program Manager Barbara Everette Thurman, Public Education Coordinator Original Copyright 2001 Illustration: This illustration shows Gracie the Wonder Dog and her friend, a dog named George, lying on the ground with mountains in the background. Not so far off in the town of Shakeyville lived Gracie the Wonder Dog and her brother George. Shakeyville was a very quiet town, nestled near beautiful mountains. Illustration: This illustration shows the skyline of Shakeyville, with mountains in the background. A drawing of Terry the Turtle is shown below the illustration. Shakeyville had a mayor named Terry the Turtle who was very concerned that all of the citizens of Shakeyville be earthquake ready. You see, Shakeyville was in earthquake country and everyone knew it was just a matter of time until an earthquake would shake their little town. Gracie and George had a wonderful friend named Abbey who was their next door neighbor. Nala lived across the street from Abbey. The four of them made up the Shakeyville Seismic Patrol. Illustration: This illustration shows a dog named Nala lying outside a doghouse with a road in the foreground. Gracie the Wonder Dog, George, Abbey, and Nala cared very deeply about what happened to the people in Shakeyville. They volunteered at the Shakeyville Elementary School to inform and teach the students about earthquake preparedness. Illustration: This illustration shows Abbey, Gracie, and George. Illustration: This illustration shows Gracie, George, Nala, and Abbey wearing hard hats and Seismic Patrol badges. Gracie carries a Disaster Kit. Terry the Turtle is shown below. Gracie knows how important it is to be prepared for an earthquake because she knows that most of the United States is earthquake country. Gracie and the Seismic Patrol also helped other people in the community. They accompanied Mayor Terry the Turtle to the Shakeyville Community Center, the hospital, and other places where people gathered to teach them about earthquake preparedness. One cold, crisp day, Gracie and the Seismic Patrol went to the Shakeyville Elementary School. “Good morning everyone!” Gracie said with excitement in her voice. “We are here today to teach you all how to be safe when we have an earthquake in Shakeyville.” Gracie told the students not to be scared of an earthquake, but to replace fear with preparedness. Illustration: This illustration shows students in the Shakeyville Elementary School sitting at their desks. Gracie explained that there is a lot they could do to make their classroom safe. Abbey asked the students to turn their desks away from the windows. Nala talked about tying and bolting things down, like computers, TVs, and heavy objects that could fall and injure them. Illustration: This illustration shows Nala and Abbey moving and securing furniture and other classroom items. Illustration: This illustration shows the teacher, Mrs. Hillary, moving a large box of books. Gracie asked Mrs. Hillary to remove all the big boxes that were up on the file cabinets so they wouldn’t fall down on the students. Mrs. Hillary began making changes to the classroom right away. All the students helped, except Wellington. He just sat in the chair and watched. The boys and girls in Mrs. Hillary’s class paid very close attention to the Seismic Patrol. After they had made their classroom safe, Gracie told them to listen very carefully because she was going to tell them the most important thing of all. Illustration: This illustration shows the students gathered to listen to Gracie. Illustration: This illustration shows Gracie pointing to a poster on which the words “Drop, Cover, and Hold” are written. “Drop, Cover, and Hold” are the key words in earthquake preparedness,” Gracie said. “If the earth starts to shake while you are in your classroom, Drop, Cover, and Hold under your desk or table.” Gracie continued, “Students, watch as Nala teaches you how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold.” Nala calmly and quietly listened for Gracie to start the earthquake drill by saying, “Earthquake! Drop, Cover, and Hold!” Illustration: This illustration shows Nala taking cover under a desk. As soon as Nala heard the words, she calmly and quietly got under the desk, covered her head, and held on to the leg of the desk so the desk wouldn’t move away from her. Gracie then announced that the drill was over and Nala got up, checked herself for injuries, and then checked the student next to her. Gracie asked the students if they would like to practice the earthquake drill and “Drop, Cover, and Hold.” They were excited to practice, because now they knew they would be safe when the ground started shaking. Gracie especially liked the way Scooter was tucked nice and tight under his desk. Illustration: This illustration shows three students taking cover under their desks. Illustration: This illustration shows Gracie talking to Wellington, who sat at his desk and didn’t take cover. Suddenly, Gracie discovered a little boy in the back who didn’t want to practice. His name was Wellington. Gracie went back to his desk and asked, “Wellington, why didn’t you practice the earthquake drill?” Wellington quickly answered, “We’re never going to have an earthquake. This preparedness stuff is for the birds!” Gracie went over to stand by Wellington and said, “Wellington, I hope you never experience an earthquake, because you are not prepared. Abbey, Nala and I are very sorry you didn’t practice with the other students.” Gracie returned to the front of the room and continued teaching the students about earthquakes and other natural hazards found in the United States. Illustration: This illustration shows a poster on which the words “Drop, Cover, and Hold” are written. Illustration: This illustration shows George with his hard hat, badge, and disaster kit. After Gracie finished teaching about earthquake preparedness, George explained the importance of having a disaster kit. George began describing what needs to be in a disaster kit. “Make sure you have enough food and water to last at least three days,” he said. “If you can’t get home, the school will take good care of you, but you will need to have food and water close by.” Illustration: This illustration shows three students with disaster kit contents: cans of tuna and soup, a box of granola bars, a flashlight, and a jug of water. As George talked to the students about all of the things they should have in their disaster preparedness kit, he opened his kit and held up each item for the kids to see. “You should have food,” he said, “the kind that doesn’t go bad, such as beef jerky, granola bars, candy bars, and cans of soup or tuna.” George held up his water jug and a little bowl to hold water. He had big plastic trash bags, a flashlight with extra batteries, and tucked neatly in his bag was a battery-powered radio so he could hear news reports. George also had a whistle that he could blow for help if help was needed, and first aid supplies. “Wow!” the kids yelled. “George, you have everything! We’re going to make our kits look just like yours.” Well, they all agreed except, yep, you’re right, Wellington. Illustration: This illustration shows George standing behind a table on which more disaster kit contents are shown: three jugs of water, a flashlight, a portable radio, a first aid kit, a whistle, and a plate, cup, and eating utensils. Ellie, one of Mrs. Hillary’s students, asked, “What if I’m outside and the earth starts to shake?” Nala thanked Ellie for asking an important question. Nala replied, “Remember kids, if you’re outside, stay away from buildings, trees and power lines, and don’t forget to Drop, Cover, and Hold. If you’re in a car with your parents or a friend, pull over and stay in the car until the shaking stops.” Illustration: This illustration shows Nala talking to Ellie. Gracie concluded the lesson with the students. As she was leaving the classroom, Gracie exclaimed, “Remember, if the ground starts to shake, Drop, Cover, and Hold.” Two months later, on a crisp winter afternoon the earth started to shake. Gracie and her team were in their underground doghouse just waking up from a nap. “What’s happening?” George asked curiously. Gracie hopped up off the ground and yelled, “Earthquake!” She called out, “Drop, Cover, and Hold!” Illustration: This illustration shows George and Gracie and their doghouse. Illustration: This illustration shows Mayor Terry the Turtle talking on the phone with the skyline of Shakeyville in the background. It wasn’t a moment later when her phone started to bark. Gracie anxiously picked up the phone and Mayor Terry the Turtle was on the line. “Gracie, we need your help!” exclaimed Mayor Terry. “We’ve just experienced an earthquake in Shakeyville. We need you and the Seismic Patrol to go over to the Shakeyville Elementary School and check on the students. Please make sure they are okay and no one has been hurt.” Illustration: This illustration shows George, Gracie, Nala, and Abbey flying through the air to the Shakeyville Elementary School. Gracie and her team didn’t hesitate. They put on their safety suits and flew over to the school. Looking down from the sky they could see the damage that was caused by the earthquake. They were hoping that the students at Shakeyville Elementary had followed proper earthquake procedures when the ground started shaking. “There’s the school!” Nala yelled. “Yep, I see it!” replied Abbey. “From the sky, the school looks to be in pretty good condition,” said George. Illustration: This illustration shows the Shakeyville Elementary School. Windows in the school are cracked, a tree is down, a trash can is overturned, and power lines have been damaged. Once Gracie and the Seismic Patrol were in the school, they began inspecting the building room by room. “Nala and Abbey, you take the rooms on that side of the hallway,” Gracie ordered. “George and I will take the rooms on this side!” As Gracie and George went through the building, they could tell the students of Shakeyville Elementary School were well prepared. Students had dropped under their desks for protection, covered their heads, and held on to the legs of their desks. They also had prepared their own disaster kits. Gracie and George were especially interested to see Mrs. Hillary’s class. Illustration: This illustration shows two students picking up books and pencils that fell off their desks. Illustration: This illustration shows George and Gracie entering the classroom. The contents of a student’s disaster kit are on top of a table. Books and pencils are on the floor. Illustration: This illustration shows Gracie talking to Mrs. Hillary. Mrs. Hillary greeted Gracie and George. “Oh Gracie and George, we’re so glad you’re here! Wellington has a bump on his forehead from a book that fell off the bookshelf. He wasn’t paying attention to you when you were here and now I’m afraid he’s hurt. He never brought a disaster kit to school, so he doesn’t have any food or water either. Can you help him!” “Certainly, we can help him!” Gracie said. Gracie sat down on the floor by Wellington, opened up the Disaster Kit she carried on her back and took out a bandage and gently placed it on Wellington’s head. “Now, that should feel better,” Gracie commented while patting his head. “Oh Wellington, you should have listened.” Illustration: This illustration shows Gracie taking a bandage out of her disaster kit for Wellington. Wellington is holding his head and crying. Illustration: This illustration shows Gracie comforting Wellington after putting the bandage on his head. Wellington was very sorry. In a somber voice he started to apologize. “Gracie,” he said, “I’m sorry I didn’t listen the first time. I’m sorry that I said those things to you when you were here teaching us how to be safe if an earthquake happens. I wish I had listened. Boy, I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll be earthquake safe the next time the ground shakes!” “And that could be soon!” said Gracie. “Earthquakes are often followed by other earthquakes called aftershocks.” Illustration: This illustration shows Nala and Abbey. Just then, Nala and Abbey walked in Mrs. Hillary’s door. “All the students at Shakeyville Elementary School are just fine!” Abbey exclaimed. Gracie and the Seismic Patrol started to walk out the door when Mrs. Hillary’s class yelled, “Thank you, Gracie! Thank you, George! Thank you, Nala! Thank you, Abbey!” Even Wellington now was a believer in earthquake preparedness. He couldn’t wait to start building his earthquake kit. As the Seismic Patrol flew up into the sky, the students in Mrs. Hillary’s class continued to wave and cheer! Illustration: This illustration shows Mrs. Hillary and the students waving at the departing Seismic Patrol. Illustration: This illustration shows the Seismic Patrol flying through the sky. Smiling from ear to ear, the Seismic Patrol flew back home to the underground doghouse to take a much-needed nap. “Earthquake preparedness really works,” said Abbey. “You bet it does!” said George. “Let’s head home to get something to eat? I’m really hungry.” While the Seismic Patrol was sleeping, Gracie’s phone started to bark. Illustration: This illustration shows Gracie in her doghouse talking on the phone. Gracie raised one eyebrow and grinned. “Well team, looks like the Mayor needs our help again. Let’s get going....” Notice to Parents and Teachers This booklet is not meant to be an exhaustive guide to earthquake education and safety, but is a useful tool for teaching children about risks from earthquakes. It can also serve to begin a discussion of earthquake safety, and safety from all types of natural and manmade hazards. For guidance on helping children deal with the confusion and fears that can arise during and after a disaster, refer to the FEMA/American Red Cross brochure Helping Children Cope with Disaster, FEMA 478, which is available in both English and Spanish. You can order a copy of FEMA 478 from the FEMA Distribution Facility at 1-800-480- 2520. You can also download FEMA 478 in PDF form from the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/preparedness/prepare_guides_links.shtm. For hazard information developed specifically for children and families, please visit the websites listed below, or call your state or local emergency management office. FEMA for Kids – http://www.fema.gov/kids/ FEMA U.S. Fire Administration for Kids – http://www.usfa.fema.gov/kids/flash.shtm FirstGov for Kids – http://www.kids.gov/k_safety.htm USGS Earthquake Hazards Program for Kids – http://earthquake.usgs.gov/4kids/ Safe Kids Worldwide – http://www.safekids.org/ CodeRedRover.org – http://www.coderedrover.org/ Home Safety Council – http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/index.aspx