The Great California Shakeout

On October 21st, at 10:21 AM, our college will be participating in the annual, statewide, Great California Shakeout. Our campus has participated in this event for many years and recognizes it as a critical component of our continuing earthquake preparedness efforts.

The Shakeout will only take a couple of minutes out of your morning. Many of us may know what to do, but there are some, especially out-of-state and international students, who may not have experienced an earthquake and have had little to no earthquake preparedness education. Help us keep our students and community prepared and safe by encouraging participation in the Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill.

What To Do

There will be a WVM Alert at 10:21 AM on October 21^st, alerting everyone to the Shakeout drill. When you receive the alert, all faculty, staff, and students should:

• DROP to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!)
• COVER your head and neck with your arms and seek additional shelter by getting under a sturdy desk or table if nearby (office desks, classroom desks, etc.)
• HOLD ON to your shelter and be prepared to move with it until the shaking stops.

Drop, cover, and hold on for approximately 30-45 seconds.  This will encourage muscle memory, which will cause an automatic reaction during an earthquake (seconds count).  If you are in an open area, you should still follow the same “Drop, Cover & Hold On,” protecting your neck and head with your arms.  If you are confined to a wheelchair, duck your head toward your knees and cover your neck with your arms.

After holding this position for 30-45 seconds, you may resume normal activities.

There will be no follow-up WVM Alert ending the drill.

There is also a valuable 32-second video, narrated by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, that we encourage you to share with your class or office staff or to watch on your own before the drill.

All students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to participate in this year’s ShakeOut drill so that all of us will be more likely to be safe when the “big one” strikes. Remember, it is not a matter of if, but when a major earthquake will strike the Bay Area.  Let’s be prepared!