Local & Community
Rancho Mirage High School Students Honored for Earthquake Preparedness Play
Rancho Mirage High School theater students are being recognized for turning earthquake preparedness into a play.
The students created and performed “Seismic Survivors” in April in partnership with the City of Rancho Mirage’s Disaster Preparedness Commission. The production was designed to teach the community what to do when an earthquake strikes.
During a Rancho Mirage City Council meeting, the class was honored with a plaque recognizing the students’ work. Mayor Lynn Malato also proclaimed September as National Preparedness Month.
For the students and teachers involved, the project was about more than putting on a theater production. It was an opportunity to help prepare people for a real emergency.
“It’s good to be prepared. You never know, could be any time when the big one’s going to hit, and the more people that are prepared, the more lives that are going to be saved,” one student said.
The original production follows students as an earthquake strikes during a class, forcing them to figure out how to respond and survive. Students worked directly with the city’s Disaster Preparedness Commission throughout the project.
The commission also used the production to emphasize practical emergency preparedness, including having a disaster “go bag” with supplies such as food and water, shoes, clothing, a flashlight, batteries and basic tools.
City officials said the plaque was intended to recognize the time and effort students put into the production and the message it delivered.
“They totally deserve it,” one official said. “We wanted them to have something that recognized what they put into last year.”
The recognition also highlighted the students’ role in spreading a message of community preparedness — and the importance of working together when a disaster occurs.
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By: NBC Palm Springs
September 17, 2026
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