With the earthquake that took place on Feb. 23, Bakersfield College is believed to be prepared for an earthquake.

“Everybody knows what they’re doing and where they’re supposed to go. The safety managers, when everybody is out will come and check rooms, so I would say absolutely,” said Geology professor Jack Pierce when asked about BC’s readiness for an earthquake.

The earthquake on Feb. 23 was located in Wasco, but it did not fall on any major fault lines. The earthquake was a magnitude 4.9.

Pierce explained that California is “just one big fracture area” and that California has multiple major faults through the state. He mentioned that the fault that we need to start looking out for is the San Andreas Fault.

When the Wasco earthquake happened, people expressed their fears through social media.

“You can’t predict earthquakes, so when they do happen society gets a little bit scared. Having the ground shake beneath you, you feel a kind of insecure,” said Pierce. “I think the best thing to do is to research and make sure you understand all of the different safety suggestions for during an earthquake.”

Pierce explained that earthquakes cannot be predicted by scientists. He said that there is a statistical method used to determine the frequency of a fault.

Pierce went to explain that people should listen to what the safety instructions are. He said to get under your desk or table and watch for falling debris.

“Bakersfield College has a pretty good program for disaster to take place.

When they have the earthquake drills, I think students should take them very seriously,” said Pierce.