Thursday, March 28, 2024

Make sure to register for BC’s largest earthquake drill of the year

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On October 18 at 10:18 am, drop, cover, and hold on!

This is your invite to join hundreds of thousands of British Columbians (and over 18.9 million people worldwide) in the largest earthquake drill in the province.

Once again, the Great British Columbia ShakeOut Drill will be on the third Thursday of October, which is officially proclaimed ShakeOutBC Day by the Province of British Columbia – and therefore by the Queen!

The province-wide drill, with its oddly specific start time, hopes to get British Columbians more prepared for dangerous earthquakes.

Last year, 898,000 people from B.C. registered and participated, and this year Shake Out’s hoping to surpass 1 million participants.

How to participate

To register yourself, family members, or a business, check out www.shakeoutbc.ca/register

Even if you enrolled last year, you’ll need to renew your registration for 2018.

You can also help drive participation by checking whether organizations in your community are taking part at www.shakeoutbc.ca/whoisparticipating

If you don’t see your local schools, governments, or non-profit groups on the list, give them a call and encourage them to participate.

Practicing what to do during an earthquake increases the odds that people will respond correctly when one occurs.

Plus it’d probably be nice to know how to help a friend who gets a little shook after a big earthquake (or for your friend to be able to help you).

Tips on earthquake safety

What if you’re not near a desk or table during an earthquake? Check out ShakeOutBC’s YouTube channel, with videos examples of how to protect yourself in different situations.

Did you know you live in a Ring of Fire?

The Pacific coast, which Vancouver Island falls under, is the most earthquake-prone region in Canada. The island is also a part of the dramatically named Pacific Ring of Fire.

The Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped chain of oceanic trenches, volcanoes, and plate movements that is home to roughly 90% of the entire world’s earthquakes.

Earthquakes are caused when tectonic plates collide into each other, slide past one another, or diverge from each other. And the alarming part is that Victoria sits in one of the few places on earth where all three of these plate movements occur.

So, yeah, maybe a quick refresher on earthquake safety wouldn’t hurt!

Plus, according to earthquaketrack.com, there were 623 earthquakes in the past 365 days (of magnitude 1.5 or greater) in British Columbia.

The question for a big earthquake near us is not if, but when.

Shake Out BC

  • When: Thursday, October 18 at 10:18 a.m.
  • Where: Wherever you are (which is hopefully under the sturdiest table you can find)
  • Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Event Sponsors:

Presenting (IBC), Gold (London Drugs), and Silver (Health Emergency Management BC, BCAA, Fortis, BC)

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