MALIBU—On Thursday, October 18, at 10:18 a.m., people around the world for 5 minutes will participate on how to drop, cover, and hold on during the annual ShakeOut Earthquake Drill.
The ShakeOut Earthquake Drill began in Southern California in 2008 and has since grown to have over 60 million registered participants worldwide, according to ShakeOut’s website. In California, there are currently 10.2 million registered participants and counting.
Those who wish to participate in the drill can go to ShakeOut’s website to register and plan a drill that specifically meets their individual or group needs. Categories for drill types range from protecting individuals and families to protecting agriculture and livestock in the case of an earthquake. The organization provides information specific to those with disabilities as well.
California is broken into 10 different areas for the drill: North Coast, Shasta Cascade, Bay Area, Delta Sierra, Central Coast, Central Valley South, Inyo-Mono, Southern California Coast, Inland Southern California, and San Diego.
In the city of Malibu, emergency supplies will be available for purchase from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at City Hall from emergency preparedness expert Cari Butler, President of the Emergency Café.
ShakeOut quotes the “drop, cover, and hold on” method for what to do during an earthquake. The method is helpful in a situation where the need to get to higher ground is not vital to survival.
If someone is located downstream from a dam or at a beach, finding higher ground is important. In other situations, ShakeOut references research done by official rescue teams from the U.S., as well as other countries that the “drop, cover, and hold on” method is the most effective way to reduce injury and death during earthquakes.
