Join Us in the International ShakeOut Day on October 20
Did you know that the world’s largest earthquake drill is happening soon? Get ready to Shake Out!
The ShakeOut is an annual opportunity to practice what you will do during the next big earthquake. It happens on the third Thursday of October every year. This year, the ShakeOut will occur on Thursday, October 20 at 10:20 am. Wherever you are, you should DROP-COVER-HOLD ON as if there were an earthquake occurring at that very moment.
DROP-COVER-HOLD ON is generally the safest action to take during an earthquake. DROP to your hands and knees as soon as you feel shaking or receive an alert. COVER your head and neck with an arm and crawl under a sturdy table or desk. HOLD ON to that piece of furniture until shaking stops. During the ShakeOut, you should stay in this position for at least 60 seconds. Remember, a big earthquake could produce a few minutes of shaking!
People who cannot get to the ground or cannot get back up by themselves should sit on a chair or bed, cover their head and back with their arms or a pillow, bend over to protect vital organs, and stay there until shaking stops. Visit EarthquakeCountry.org/step5 to learn about protective actions for other situations, such as when you are driving or near the coast.
Anyone can participate in the ShakeOut, including schools and offices. Ideally, everyone in the Pacific Northwest will participate! To register and be counted in the drill, visit ShakeOut.org/register.
The ShakeOut is also a reminder to households, workplaces, and communities to take other steps that improve their earthquake preparedness and resilience. An earthquake could happen at any time and potentially disrupt community lifelines. People could be without regular services or assistance - including electricity, communications, food, and water - for hours, days, or even weeks. Households should develop an emergency plan and have enough food, water, and other supplies to survive for at least two weeks after an earthquake. People can also retrofit their households and businesses to reduce potential structural damage from shaking. Learn more preparedness tips from Ready.gov, Washington Emergency Management Division, or the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.
Another critical tool for increasing personal and community resilience is ShakeAlert. ShakeAlert is the earthquake early warning system for the West Coast. It can detect significant earthquakes so quickly that alerts can reach people before they even feel shaking. It is operational in Oregon, Washington, and California. People in these states automatically receive text-based alerts on their phones through the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system when a large earthquake is detected nearby. You can also download free ShakeAlert-powered apps like MyShake and QuakeAlertUSA (only available in Oregon and California). These apps have more features than the basic WEA alert, such as customizable alert thresholds and countdown timers, and may deliver faster alerts. Whenever you receive an alert, be sure to DROP-COVER-HOLD ON!
Community lifelines like schools, utilities, businesses, and hospitals can get connected to ShakeAlert as well. When an earthquake is detected, ShakeAlert can automatically trigger pre-programmed actions that save lives, reduce property damage, and speed recovery. For example, schools can use ShakeAlert to trigger PA announcements warning students and teachers to DROP-COVER-HOLD ON. Or, water utilities can use it to automatically throttle water valves to prevent catastrophic flooding from burst pipes. If you are interested in integrating ShakeAlert into your organization’s operations, contact your local ShakeAlert coordinator. The Washington coordinators are Bill Steele and Gabriel Lotto. The Oregon coordinators are Kelly Missett and Gabriel Lotto.
The ShakeOut is an important reminder of the high earthquake risk in the Pacific Northwest and the steps everyone can take to prepare. Whether you spend the day participating in a drill, downloading a ShakeAlert-powered app, or gathering emergency supplies, the actions you take today matter.