Millions of Californians have signed up to drop, cover and hold on Thursday for the Great California ShakeOut.
The annual global earthquake safety drill is scheduled for 10:16 a.m. Thursday. More than 10.3 million people have signed up to participate in California, including 4.1 million people in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Families, schools, government agencies, businesses and more will be part of the drill.
At 10:16 a.m. and continuing for about one minute, participates will practice what to do during an earthquake. That generally involves three steps — drop, cover, and hold on. According to federal, state, and local emergency management experts, those steps are the easiest and fastest way to prevent injury, or even death in the result of an earthquake.
What not to do during an earthquake
The Earthquake Country Alliance has a list of things not to do during the shaking.
Do not stand in a doorway. Doorways in most modern houses are no safer than any other part of the house, and do not protect residents from falling or flying debris.
Do not run outside. Attempting to run outside is dangerous as the ground moves and debris can fall down around you.
Do not practice the “Triangle of Life,” says the Earthquake Country Alliance (ECA), a partnership of people and organizations in California that works to improve earthquake preparedness. These recent emails describe alternative processes besides the standard “Drop, Cover, and Hold” recommended by experts, namely to stand next to a table rather than duck beneath it.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) found that Southern California experiences 10,000 earthquakes each year. Since 2015, Los Angeles has been retrofitting buildings under Ordinance 183893 to reduce structural hazards and damages during severe shakings.