Great Shakeout: What to know about the annual earthquake drill in the Coachella Valley

Jennifer Cortez, Palm Springs Desert Sun

California will be one of the many states preparing to participate in the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill Thursday, an effort to raise awareness of the need for preparedness on what to do when a quake strikes.

"Your past experience in earthquakes may give you a false sense of safety," the ShakeOut website notes. "You likely have never experienced the kind of strong earthquake shaking that is possible in much larger earthquakes."

How did ShakeOut Day begin?

The origins of the annual earthquake preparedness drill — previously known as the Great Southern California ShakeOut — began in 2008 to educate the public following a scenario that outlined the damages brought on by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Since then, the education movement has gone worldwide.

As of Wednesday afternoon, a total of 641,686 people in Riverside County have pledged to "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" at 10:19 a.m., including local school districts in the Coachella Valley.

Statewide, more than 10 million participants are expected to take part in drills at schools, businesses, governments, neighborhoods, organizations, and households.

What does a drill entail?

Everyone participating in Thursday's drill is encouraged to use the Drop, Cover and Hold On method. This is how it works:

  • Drop where you are, onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and reduces your chances of being hit by falling or flying objects.

  • Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand.

    • If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath for shelter.

    • If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall.

    • Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs.

  • Hold on until the shaking stops.

    • Under shelter: hold on to it with one hand; be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts

    • No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.

What are valley schools doing for the event?

At Cathedral City High, in addition to practicing the Drop, Cover and Hold On drill, students in the school's Health Environmental Academy of Learning (HEAL) have special duties during the exercise.

The students in HEAL academy, a career technical education program that focuses on health and medical fields, are certified Community Emergency Response Team responders, and they'll have a chance to apply last school year's training during the drill. They will assess and care for students who have been assigned injuries.

How can I get involved?

At 10:19 a.m. PST Thursday you can join millions of people across California practicing earthquake safety. If you want to participate but can't do so today, you can register your ShakeOut drill for any day of the year at a time of your choice. You can also include people in multiple locations through video conferencing.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Get prepared: Today is the Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill

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