The Great ShakeOut is Coming! – Practice Your Earthquake Preparedness on October 18th

We live in Oregon with the Cascadia Subduction Zone just a few hundred miles off the coast. There are over 1000 earthquakes over magnitude 1.0 in Washington and Oregon every year, with at least two dozen being large enough to be felt. Since we believe, here at PreparednessMama, that you should calmly prepare for any emergency that might come your way – we are encouraging you to participate in the Great ShakeOut of 2013. Earthquake preparedness is a must for many parts of the world, and for your family, if you live in an area prone to shaking.

Why Should You Participate in the Great Shakeout?

While the potential earthquake hazards depend  upon your location, you could be anywhere when an earthquake strikes- at home, at work, at school or even on vacation. What we do now will determine our quality of life after our next big earthquake. Are you prepared to survive and recover quickly?

What Should You Do Now? Make a Commitment to Participate!

Today: go to ShakeOut.org, chose the state you live in and register to be counted in the ShakeOut Drill, get email updates, and more.

Between now and October 18: Consider what may happen when an earthquake shakes your area. Plan what you will do now to prepare, so that when it happens you will be able to protect yourself and then recover quickly. Talk to other people about what they have done, and encourage them to join you in getting more prepared.

On October 18, @ 10:18 a.m.:

Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Drop to the ground, take Cover under a table or desk, and Hold On to it as if a major earthquake were happening (stay down for at least 60 seconds). Practice now so you will immediately protect yourself during earthquakes! See this page for what to do if you are in bed, outside, driving, in a tall building, or other situations.

While still under the table, or wherever you are, look around and imagine what would happen in a major earthquake. What would fall on you or others? What would be damaged? What would life be like after? What will you do before the actual earthquake happens to reduce losses and quickly recover?

Next Practice what you will do after the shaking stops. After your drill is complete, have discussions about what was learned and incorporate these lessons into your disaster plan.

Check out the Drop Cover & Hold On website for ways to protect yourself, spread the word and play “Beat the Quake”

Download this flier Recommended Earthquake Safety Actions and share Drop, Cover and Hold On with your family.