Tomorrow, Tuesday April 17th is the Utah Shakeout statewide earthquake drill. You don’t have to live in Utah to participate, though. According to ready.gov, there are 45 states and territories that are at moderate to high risk of experiencing earthquakes. So Utah has organized the largest earthquake drill in state history and those who choose to participate will hold their earthquake drill at 10:15 am tomorrow. Of course, this isn’t a real earthquake, so if another time works better for you, do it then instead.
What to do for an earthquake drill
To hold an earthquake drill, there are three steps: Drop, Cover, and Hold On.
First, drop to the ground. This way you get to control as much as possible how you land on the ground! It lowers your center of gravity and helps keep you from falling and being injured. Drop where you are, don’t try running to another room before dropping down.
Second, get under cover. Something sturdy like a coffee table (not the glass type) or desk is good. The kitchen table or even under a bed would be fine as well (assuming that under your bed is not already full of food storage). I was talking with sweet husband about this one–our house is ridiculously small for our family. I have food storage and other stuff stored under all the beds–even the crib. The desk has a small space under it, but there are so many books/catalogs/paperwork on the desk that if it all fell off in the shaking I might be trapped under the desk for a while! The coffee table could shelter one child. So I told him that the instructions say if you don’t have a place to take cover, you should move to a new house! It was so late when we were talking about this that he actually believed me for a minute–I really could have milked that one more than I did.
If you don’t have a good place near you to take cover, get to an inside corner in your house. When I was young and we lived in California, I remember going to stand in an inside doorway for an earthquake. That isn’t in any official instructions anymore, so I guess the inside corner has proven a better spot.
Third, hold on. Hold on to the thing you’re taking cover under. This should keep you and your protection in the same place at least in relation to each other. If your table slides across the room, hopefully you’ll slide with it if you’re holding on to it. During your drill, hold on for at least 60 seconds. In an actual earthquake, hold on until the shaking stops.
Unfortunately, unlike tomorrow’s drill, earthquakes happen without warning. Look around now and see what changes you could make to your surroundings to decrease your chances of injury or death if the earth starts shaking. Check the Red Cross and FEMA for more information. The shakeout.org site is also a good resource–with drill instructions, checklists, videos, and even a “Beat the Quake” game. Get ready to shake, this is the only scheduled earthquake you’re likely to encounter.
Keep preparing! Angela
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LOL…you almost got a new house! I already knew that after dinner was the best time to approach a man for anything. So, I can add fed and exhausted. LOL
Here in Alabama, the idea of an earthquake is soooo remote. Besides, when would I have time to practice with all the dodging of real tornadoes?
This is the first I have heard abot the change from doorways to corners as safest spots. I will take a tornado anyday over an earthquake!
Hi Angela–I grew up in California, too, and was always taught to stand in a doorway during an earthquake. Recently, though, I came across this instruction from the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System: “Do not stand in a doorway. Buildings today have so much partitioning, much of which is temporary, that many doorways are actually weak points.” So I guess that explains why that has been discontinued (which I hadn’t known until I read your post.) Here is the link from which I got that quote: http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/disaster/quake/eacth.html.
Thanks for all you do. I appreciate the ideas and good advice I get from you.