B.C. set to ‘drop, cover and hold on’ in annual ShakeOut quake drill
Posted October 19, 2023 7:59 am.
Last Updated October 19, 2023 9:17 am.
People will duck under desks and tables in B.C. and around the world on Thursday for an annual drill practicing ways to stay safe during earthquakes.
Up and down the West Coast, the ShakeOut drill begins at 10:19 a.m.
“Each year, there are about 3,000 earthquakes in B.C., most of which, fortunately, aren’t felt. With the ever-present threat of an earthquake anywhere in the province, it is critical that people know what to do when one hits,” said Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management and climate readiness.
“By practising earthquake preparedness, including creating a home emergency plan and building an emergency kit, you can help to keep yourself and your family as safe as possible.”
The Great British Columbia ShakeOut earthquake drills focus on the “drop, cover, and hold on” mantra for basic personal safety.
In March 2022, the province and Natural Resources Canada installed Canada’s first early earthquake sensor station in Horseshoe Bay, as part of the Canada Earthquake Early Warning System.
As of fall 2023, more than half of the system’s 190 early earthquake sensors planned for B.C. have been installed.
“By spring 2024, the federal government will be able to issue alerts to mobile devices, radios, and televisions to warn of a potentially harmful earthquake, giving people crucial seconds to take protective measures – drop, cover, and hold on – before shaking begins,” the ministry said Thursday.
The ShakeOut drill originated in California in 2008, growing internationally. The first one was based on a scenario of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the southern section of California’s mighty San Andreas Fault. It’s the type of disastrous quake that experts say will happen, although they can’t say when.
Schools, government organizations, companies, and others now sign up to take part.
