The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors issued a proclamation Oct. 6 calling for “the participation of all Humboldt County residents, businesses and other organizations in the Great California ShakeOut on [Thursday] October 15, 2009.” To date, nearly 20,000 people in Humboldt County have signed-up at www.ShakeOut.org.
September was National Preparedness Month and in California it is followed by the ShakeOut, a preparedness exercise to protect life and property at work, school and home during earthquakes.
The Sept. 29 Samoan earthquake and tsunami and the Sept. 30 Indonesian earthquake demonstrated again that earthquakes occur without warning, and cause widespread death and destruction. A major goal of state disaster preparedness officials is the development of a culture of earthquake and tsunami readiness to minimize losses and hasten recovery.
Dengler said, “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 many years.”
Matthew Bettenhausen, the California Emergency Management Agency’s acting secretary, urges Californians to “act now to secure contents in your home or office so they won’t fall, organize your emergency supplies and update your family emergency plan. Then on Oct. 15, practice ‘drop, cover and hold on.’”
Drop, cover and hold on is the recommended procedure during an earthquake: getting under a heavy table or desk quickly to avoid being hit by falling objects, or getting on the ground next to an interior wall and covering the head and neck with one’s arms.
“People can learn what to do, no matter where they are when an earthquake strikes at www.dropcoverholdon.org, ” Dengler emphasizes. Regional information for Northern California, including details about earthquake and tsunami hazards, is available at http://www.humboldt.edu/shakyground/
Individuals, families, schools, businesses, government agencies and organizations can register for the Great California ShakeOut at www.shakeout.org. The Web site also has “ShakeOut Drill Broadcast” recordings to play during the test, updated drill manuals for schools, businesses, non-profits and other organizations, checklists, take-home materials and educational curricula.
Dengler says, “The Great California ShakeOut is about more than just practicing drop, cover, hold on. It's about getting all of us to talk about earthquakes, think about preparedness and act now to get ready.”
With the 2009 ShakeOut less than two weeks away, more than six million people in businesses, government offices, neighborhoods, schools and as individuals have been registered at www.ShakeOut.org. Last year, 5.4 million people participated in the Great Southern California ShakeOut. The drill is now statewide and will be an annual opportunity to improve readiness and practice protective actions.
In the near future, Northern California residents will receive copies of Living on Shaky Ground: How to Survive Earthquakes and Tsunamis in Northern California, inserted in general circulation newspapers from Mendocino County north to Oregon and east to Nevada. The 32-page, full-color guide book contains the latest information about regional earthquake and tsunami hazards and presents a seven-step plan of action for readiness and mitigation before, during and after earthquakes.