California Shakeout
updated: Oct 18, 2012, 10:44 AM

Source: Office of Emergency Management

Advisory: It's 10:18 on 10/18 DROP - COVER and HOLD On. The Great Cal. Shakeout www.shakeout.org

What if an Earthquake happened Right Now!?

• If you are inside a building, move no more than a few steps, then Drop, Cover and Hold On:

o DROP to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!),

o Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and

o HOLD ON to it until the shaking stops.

Stay indoors till the shaking stops and you are sure it is safe to exit. In most buildings in California you are safer if you stay where you are until the shaking stops.

• If you are outdoors when the shaking starts, you should find a clear spot away from buildings, trees, streetlights, and power lines, then Drop, Cover and Hold On. Stay there until the shaking stops.

• If you are driving, pull over to a clear location, stop and stay there with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops. Once the shaking stops, proceed with caution and avoid bridges or ramps that might have been damaged.

Ground shaking during an earthquake is seldom the cause of injury. Most earthquake-related injuries and deaths are caused by collapsing walls and roofs, flying glass and falling objects. It is extremely important for a person to move as little as possible to reach the place of safety he or she has identified because most injuries occur when people try to move more than a short distance during the shaking. Look around you now, before an earthquake. Identify safe places such as under a sturdy piece of furniture or against an interior wall in your home, office or school so that when the shaking starts you can respond quickly. An immediate response to move to the safe place can save lives. And that safe place should be within a few steps to avoid injury from flying debris.

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 332828	2012-10-18 11:21 AM
What about if you're underneath a freeway overpass? I think of Carrillo St. underpass waiting for the light to change... Anyone else get the hevy-chevies being under the freeway waiting for a traffic light to chance, or is it just me???
COMMENT 332846	2012-10-18 12:01 PM
828: I never thought about it before, but I might get a bit weirded out now!
COMMENT 332869P	2012-10-18 12:28 PM
828. Of course I get the "heebie-jeebies" while stuck under any underpass here in SB-----I'm a local. Being from California, you know what can happen to the infrastructure when the moving and shaking starts. I often think of earthquakes at Carrillo St. Now I will think of them and of you, too. What I like about this advisory is the part where, if one is outside and the quaking begins, one is supposed to "Drop, Cover and Hold on." Cover with what? A briefcase? A shopping bag? A nearby shrub? Hold onto what? The Bermuda grass? The sidewalk? Your water/sphincter muscles?
NATURE BOY	2012-10-18 06:23 PM
If you're under a freeway overpass during an earthquake, you should try to safely maneuver your vehicle outside the footprint of said overpass, and park it in a "clear zone" which is safely out of the footprint of the overpass. I.E. common sense.

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