April is Earthquake Preparedness Month in California, and the County of San Diego’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) and California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) are reminding residents to “not get caught off guard” and have a plan for how to protect themselves in the event of an earthquake.
Millions of people across the world, including in San Diego, took a step toward better earthquake preparedness Thursday by participating in International ShakeOut Day 2020.
The pandemic has many of us working or studying from home, so an earthquake preparedness drill could look very different this year.
If you felt some shaking on the Fourth of July, and even if you didn’t personally sense it, you have likely heard it was from a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in the Mojave Desert near the town of Ridgecrest. The quake is being called one of the biggest in Southern California in 20 years, could be felt in various counties as far as San Diego County and Nevada, and is continuing to put out aftershocks.
The Anchorage, Alaska 7.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami warning, which was later canceled, reminds us all to be prepared for these kinds of unpredictable disasters. Having a disaster plan and supplies and practicing your response with your family could mean escaping serious harm.
More than 900,000 individuals, businesses and organizations in San Diego County are registered to drop, cover and hold on at 10:18 a.m. on Thursday 10/18 for the Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill.
Natural disasters can happen at any time and you may only have minutes to evacuate. It’s important to have a plan and to make sure you practice it at least twice a year with the entire family.
