April is Earthquake Preparedness Month, and the Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) would like to take this opportunity to highlight both our emergency preparedness measures and ways our families can stay prepared at home.
What You Need to Know About School:
In the event of an Earthquake, we maintain responsibility for our students. All IUSD campuses will be secured, and students will remain on campus until they can be safely released to parents or authorized guardians through an established reunification process.
We prepare to be self-sufficient. Although IUSD works closely with the Irvine Police Department, the Orange County Fire Authority, and other agencies, it may be necessary to coordinate our own response if emergency personnel are addressing more immediate needs. IUSD and our school staff have been assigned specific roles and responsibilities that are practiced during drills throughout the year.
For more information on our emergency response management, visit the IUSD Emergency Management webpage.
Stay Connected with IUSD:
Staying connected to IUSD is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
- ParentSquare – IUSD uses ParentSquare to send general email, phone and text communications to parents, staff and community members throughout the school year. Schools and the District also use ParentSquare for emergency notifications. During an emergency, check your phone, voicemail and email first for the most up-to-date information from the District.
- IUSD Website – Visit iusd.org for updates and official information.
- Social Media – Stay connected to our school and the District through social media. Social media is an effective and real-time way to communicate, especially when phone lines are down.
Keep Your Information Updated – Make sure we have your most up-to-date contact information so we know how to reach you, your spouse and/or responsible caregivers to arrange for pick-up. During emergencies, school telephones may be overwhelmed with calls, so it is important that we know how to reach you.
What You Need to Know at Home and Work:
The following is important information about earthquake preparedness from the Irvine Police Department’s Office of Emergency Management. The Office of Emergency Management encourages residents to be prepared by taking the following steps:
- Develop a plan of action for meeting up with and communicating with family members
- Assemble a 72-hour supply kit that is tailored to your family’s needs
- Register your home and all family cell phones through the Alert OC system at AlertOC.com to receive emergency alerts and information.
- Listen to 1640AM during an emergency for live updates
- Follow the Irvine Police Department on Facebook at facebook.com/IPD and X at twitter.com/IrvinePolice
- Take a Community Emergency Response Team course offered by the Irvine Police Department
For more emergency preparedness information and resources, such as family plans and recommended supply lists, visit cityofirvine.org/prepare.