Great Shakeout! RivCo Drops, Covers And Holds On Thursday At 10:17

Community Corner

Great Shakeout! RivCo Drops, Covers And Holds On Thursday At 10:17 The Great Shakeout helps residents understand what would happen if a 7.8-magnitude+ quake shakes loose the southernmost San Andreas Fault.

MURRIETA, CA—On Thursday, People in government offices, businesses, and schools throughout Riverside County will stop everything for a minute to "drop, cover, and hold on" during a statewide earthquake preparedness drill now in its 16th year. The event organizers want residents to know what to expect in their area in case of a massive quake—namely, prepare to shelter for 72 hours with each resident having enough medicine, food, and water for their family members until help arrives.

The Great California ShakeOut of 2024 is scheduled for 10:17 a.m. on Oct. 17.

"What we do to prepare now, before the next big earthquake, will determine how well we can survive and recover," according to a statement posted to ShakeOut.org. "Great ShakeOut earthquake drills are a once-a-year chance for everyone to practice `drop, cover, and hold on' and learn other earthquake safety tips."

The ShakeOut website indicated that as of Tuesday afternoon, 10.4 million Californians were slated to participate in the drill. During last year's event, about 10.2 million registered statewide.

The exercises began in 2008.

In Riverside County, 659,022 people have registered for the drill so far.

Municipalities whose local government employees will be involved include Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Eastvale, Indio, Jurupa Valley, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Murrieta, Norco, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Riverside, Temecula, and Wildomar.

Multiple Riverside County agencies, including the Assessor-Clerk-Recorder's Office, Emergency Management Department, and Parks & Open Space District, are also signed up. The Pechanga Band of Indians is also on board.

Numerous colleges and universities will participate in the shakeout, including the College of the Desert, La Sierra University, Norco College, and Riverside City College. Students and staff from most kindergarten through 12th-grade school districts countywide and private and charter schools will also participate.

A few local school districts, such as the Temecula Valley Unified School District, will focus on earthquake readiness next week during Red Ribbon Week, according to spokesperson James Evans.

According to ShakeOut.org, the objective is to emphasize precautions during a 7.8-magnitude or larger quake along the southernmost portion of the San Andreas fault.

Officials believe such a tectonic shift could produce waves of movement for hundreds of miles over four minutes. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, some 2,000 people would die, tens of thousands would be injured, and more than $200 billion in damage would result. The cataclysm would be 50 times the intensity of the Jan. 17, 1994, Northridge earthquake.

According to the USGS, hundreds of aftershocks would ensue, a few of them nearly as big as the original quake.

The 2019 drill came just over three months after the July quakes that struck Ridgecrest. The 6.4—and 7.1-magnitude shakers caused significant damage to roads and structures in the hamlet, which lies just south of the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station.

Californians should be prepared to be self-sufficient for 72 hours following a major disaster, according to local and state officials. Each resident should have a full first-aid kit, medications, food, and enough water for each household member to drink one gallon per day.

Homeowners and renters should also know how to turn off the gas in their residences in case of leaks.