“When the notice is given, an evacuation will begin in an orderly manner to each building’s designated assembly area and a building captain will give out directions during the drill”, according to the press release.
Advertisement
Registered ShakeOut participants will receive information on how to plan their drill and how to create a dialogue with others about quake preparedness.
The Great Oregon Shakeout will take place Thursday morning, and organizations across Benton County will be participating in the drill. The danger is lower in the B.C. Interior, but Ms. Bird cautions “there’s nowhere that has zero hazard for earthquakes”. While not quite in the A-league of the world’s most seismically active countries – that honour belongs to Japan and Indonesia – New Zealand’s seismicity is high.
“We have almost doubled the amount of people participating in the shakeout this year”, said Cory Grogan, a spokesman for the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.
“So we do have earthquakes, but in general, we’re fortunate that we don’t have them all the time”.
Mike Bamberger, with emergency management at Oregon State University, said last year just 300 people at the university participated in the drill, but he expects this year’s participation to be higher thanks to high-profile stories about the potential devastation from a Cascadia Subduction Zone by The New Yorker and Oregon Public Broadcasting. “It’s critical that people know what to do during an natural disaster so they can be survivors”.
Bill Beldessi, the director of Moresby Island regional district, remembers the 2012 quake in the Haida Gwaii region that measured 7.8 on the Richter scale.
“I hope that everyone participates”, Fisher said.
Advertisement
That threat of massive tidal waves also prompted the community to pull together and set up an emergency centre. “We have a tsunami centre up in the hills and it’s fully stocked”. It’s an event that could save lives when the the big one hits. Trying to run is unsafe because the ground is moving and you can easily fall or be injured by falling bricks, glass and other building materials. This means that wherever you are at that moment-at home, at work, at school, anywhere-you should Drop, Cover, and Hold On as if there were a major quake occurring at that very moment You should stay in this position for at least 60 seconds. “In an quake you don’t want to get underground”.
