Preparing for disasters such as earthquakes pays. With the help of the city’s Office of Emergency Management, students in a high school algebra class are using math to figure out how much.

Students in Elsa Yanez De Salaido’s Algebra 2 class at Bellevue Big Picture School, an alternative school in the Bellevue School District, designed two large buildings, one to pre-1970s standards and one to later standards that ensure structures can withstand an earthquake. With data from the Office of Emergency Management, the students projected how a major earthquake would affect the buildings and calculated how much it would cost to repair them.

The month-long project covers risk assessment, building mitigation, incident damage analysis and recovery cost analysis. The students presented their findings Monday.

“If we can show the practical applications of math and other subjects in an environment like emergency management, this will bring a realistic understanding to their learning process,” said Vernon Owens, emergency preparedness coordinator.

Making sure residents and businesses in Bellevue have a realistic understanding of the threat natural disasters pose, and of how to prepare for that threat, are a key parts of the Office Emergency Management’s mission. A division of the Bellevue Fire Department, Emergency Management offers preparedness training to neighborhoods and businesses upon request, scheduled based on date and time availability.