Washington participates in International ShakeOut Day, asking residents to take a minute to drop, cover, and hold on as part of earthquake preparedness
Are you ready for The Big One?
Or even an average earthquake?
Expert advice on how to prepare for an earthquake is readily available online, and on Thursday, the state of Washington wants its residents to take part in a world-wide drill.
It’s the Great ShakeOut at 10:21 a.m. Thursday.
This drill is easy: Stop what you are doing at that exact moment, then drop, cover, and hold on where you are right then for one minute. If you can, crawl under a sturdy desk or table. That way, when the real thing does hit, you will have already practiced what is considered the best strategy on how to react to an earthquake.
Washington residents along the coastlines also will hear tsunami sirens at 10:21 a.m. These sirens, at that time, are part of the drill, as well.
The Washington Emergency Management Division said that more than a million people have already registered to participate in the drill. Registration is not required, but the division would appreciate it in order to get an idea of how many people they have reached. To register, go to: https://www.shakeout.org/washington/
During the event, people are encouraged to use the #ShakeOut on social media. Feel free to tag Washington’s twitter account: waShakeOut.
The state also has tips on how to prepare for an earthquake throughout a year by doing one thing each month. To download the tips, go to: https://mil.wa.gov/preparedness
The Washington Emergency Management Division will field earthquake-related questions on its Facebook page at noon Thursday following the morning’s drill.
The original ShakeOut drill was performed in California in 2008. The drill expanded to other states and now other countries. The third Thursday of every October is now International ShakeOut Day. This is the 10th year that Washington has participated in the ShakeOut.
