Earthquake Today Drills: Over 25 Million Join Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills
More than 25 million people around the world took part on Thursday morning in the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills, an annual event that promotes earthquake readiness.
In the United States, the drill took place at 10:16 a.m. PDT.
Participants practiced the government-recommended "drop, cover and hold on" protocol, which involves getting on the ground, taking cover under a table or desk and holding on until the earthquake is over.
With 10.32 million people registered, California had the highest participation of any U.S. state or nation taking part. ShakeOut events also took place in New Zealand, Japan, Italy and Canada, according to the Great ShakeOut organization.
The annual drill started in 2008. Biola University, La Mirada, California, was among institutions that conducted a full-scale emergency exercise, according to The Huffington Post. The suburb where the university is located has experienced several earthquakes already, the most recent of which was the magnitude-5.1 earthquake that happened in March.
The exercise was designed to help people prepare for a earthquake that measures up to 6.7 on the Richter scale.
In past national drills, organizers carried out exercises in several different locations, including a train station and medical center. They opted to carry out this year's exercise in a University campus because students who come from non-earthquake prone regions will not know what to do when an earthquake hits.
As for the best method people can use to survive a quake, it still is "Drop, Cover and Hold." Ken Kondo, an Emergency Program Manager, told the Huffington Post that people should drop and then seek cover, for example under a table, and hold onto something to avoid falling or being struck by objects. Kondo noted that residents who run from their homes can get their feet injured by broken glass. This was what happened during the recent Northern California earthquake.
Kondo also advised people to prepare an emergency kit that includes a "flashlight, batteries, radio and covered shoes," and keep the kit under the bed.
Authorities across the United States had encouraged people to take part in the national drill. The Augusta Chronicle said the drill started in each participating state at 10:16 a.m. on Oct. 16 with a signal broadcast on NOAA's tone alert radio. This was followed by radio and television broadcasts.
