Thousands of British Columbians are expected to participate in the province-wide earthquake drill, ShakeOut BC, this week.
On Thursday, October 17th at 10:17 a.m., thousands of people in schools, businesses, organizations, and households across BC will drop, cover, and hold on, as part of the province’s largest annual earthquake drill.
See also: 3 earthquakes strike within minutes north of Vancouver Island
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.
Last year, over 780,000 people across BC and 72,000 people in Victoria participated in the emergency preparedness drill.
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 2019.
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).
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.
Moreover, according to earthquaketrack.com, there were 548 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 17th, 10:17 a.m.
- Where: Wherever you are (which is hopefully under the sturdiest table you can find)