The ShakeOut is an annual preparedness exercise in “drop, cover and hold on” protection. It means sinking to the ground, covering the head and neck with one’s arms and taking cover under a heavy table or desk until the shaking stops.
If there is no cover, “just dropping to the ground and staying in one spot or moving next to an interior wall will help to protect you,” says Humboldt State Geology Professor and seismic expert Lori Dengler.
To date, almost eight million Californians have registered for the annual drill Oct. 20. More than 40,000 residents of Humboldt, Del Norte and Mendocino Counties have signed up at http://www.ShakeOut.org">www.ShakeOut.org for the 2011 exercise. Registration remains open.
A major goal of state disaster preparedness officials is instilling a culture of earthquake and tsunami readiness to minimize losses and hasten recovery in the event of a catastrophe like that in Japan in March that killed tens of thousands.
“What each of us does in our homes, schools, and offices, and what we do together as communities and as a state, will determine whether California’s next major earthquake will be a natural disaster from which we recover quickly or a major catastrophe that affects our way of life for years,” Dengler warns. “The death and devastation last March in Japan are a grim reminder of how crucial preparedness is. It can literally be the difference between life and death.”
State and county officials urge everyone to secure the contents of their homes and offices, organize emergency supplies and update family emergency plans in preparation for the ShakeOut.
“The most dangerous place to be during an earthquake is the interface between indoors and outdoors,” warns Dengler, who has been part of seven post-event reconnaissance teams at earthquake sites around the world. “When I grew up, I was taught to go to a doorway. But doorways are no stronger than the rest of modern buildings and people can be injured by swinging doors or people rushing to escape outside. Participation in the ShakeOut drill is important for people to develop the muscle memory to do the right thing when the next earthquake strikes.”
Details of what to do are at http://www.dropcoverholdon.org. Regional information for Northern California is posted at http://www.humboldt.edu/shakyground/.
Northern California residents from Mendocino County north to Oregon and east to Nevada have access to the latest edition of “Living on Shaky Ground: How to Survive Earthquakes and Tsunamis in Northern California.”
The 32-page, full-color guide contains the latest information about regional earthquake and tsunami hazards. It presents a seven-step plan of action for readiness and mitigation before, during and after earthquakes. The Humboldt Earthquake Education Center at Humboldt State and a host of state and federal agencies based the booklet on the latest scientific, engineering and sociological research. It is written in easy prose and thoroughly illustrated to make its points clear.
One of the most important aspects of the ShakeOut drill and the booklet is the opportunity they provide to generate discussion, culminating in action, says Dengler, who led the preparation of “Living on Shaky Ground.”
She explains, “One of the main things to come out of sociological research is that, before people act, they need to talk things through, an exercise that sociologists call ‘milling.’ People are more likely to store food and water, secure their bookshelves and write up a family preparedness plan if they’ve discussed it among themselves first. When you’re ready ahead of time, you greatly increase your chances of saving yourself and your family, reducing your losses and helping your community recover faster.”
Dengler cautions that reliance on the government is not enough. “The government is there to assist afterwards, but the definition of a disaster is that normal emergency services are completely overwhelmed. The only way you’re going to get help is to be prepared yourself. This is a personal, a neighborhood and a community responsibility.”
The Humboldt Earthquake Education Center, which distributes educational materials such as “Living on Shaky Ground” to schools, the press and the public, is a non-profit unit established in 1985 within HSU’s Department of Geology. The center operates the Humboldt Earthquake Hotline (707/826-6020), a recorded message updated daily about local, regional and worldwide activity. The center also conducts intensity studies of regional earthquakes.
The ShakeOut Web site is www.shakeout.org. The Humboldt Earthquake Education Center is at humboldt.edu/shakyground and also can be reached at 707/826-6019.