The annual California Great Shakeout is this Thursday, October 19.
The Great Shakeout encourages community members to prepare for possible earthquakes. That includes securing spaces, practicing "drop, cover, and hold on," and creating emergency plans.
Californians are encouraged to participate in a statewide earthquake drill at 10:19 a.m. on Thursday.
Those who have the MyShake app on their phones will receive a test alert at that time. The alert will look like an alert to drop, cover and hold for a fictitious magnitude 5.0 earthquake in San Francisco.
The Earthquake Country Alliance recommends four steps to prepare for an earthquake:
- Identifying potential hazards and securing moveable items
- Create an emergency plan that includes how you will communicate with family
- Organize emergency supplies in an accessible location after an earthquake
- Organize important documents, strengthen property, and consider earthquake insurance
The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and County Fire Department recommend that residents use advanced warning technologies because they are essential for taking protective measures to ensure residents' safety.
Some examples of advanced warning technologies that residents can use to be alerted to a potential earthquake are:
- MyShake App: A free app available on the Apple app store and Google Play store that allows users to receive earthquake warnings based on where they set their "HomeBase" location on the app. This app will issue a test alert on October 19, 2023.
- Android Earthquake Alerts: An alert system already integrated into new and updated Android devices.
- ReadySBC Alerts: A local alert system for Santa Barbara County that residents can sign up for at ReadySBC.org.
To learn more about earthquake alert systems, visitearthquake.ca.gov.
