What can we do here?
The Samoan earthquake and tsunami on 9/29 and the Indonesian earthquake on 9/30 remind us that earthquakes happen without warning, and can cause widespread destruction. Our goal in California is to develop a culture of earthquake and tsunami readiness, so that losses will be minimized and we can recover quickly. What each of us does in our homes, schools, and offices, and what we do together as communities and as a state, will determine whether California's next major earthquake will be a natural disaster (from which we can recover quickly), or a major catastrophe that will affect our way of life for many years.
The Great California ShakeOut is about more than just practicing "drop, cover, hold on." It's about getting us all to talk about earthquakes, think about preparedness, and to act now. Have you told your neighbors, family, colleagues, or others that you are part of the ShakeOut, and asked them to join you by registering? This, more than anything ShakeOut organizers can do, will lead to people participating, getting prepared, and one day possibly surviving a major earthquake.
Great news! As of today more than 5.6 million Californians are registered to participate in the ShakeOut drill at 10:15 a.m. on October 15. Use the interactive map on the ShakeOut home page to see how many are in your area- and review lists of who is participating. The 2009 ShakeOut is now officially larger than the 2008 ShakeOut, and there are still 15 days left! Please forward this email to colleagues, friends, family, and others to make sure they are aware of the ShakeOut and know about these resources. With two weeks still to go, many more can still register!
REMINDER... Free ShakeOut Web Conferences this week!
Ready for your ShakeOut drill? Learn how your business, organization, or government agency can plan an effective earthquake drill by participating in one of these FREE web conferences:
Government Agencies – October 1, 9 a.m.
Businesses & Organizations – October 2, 9 a.m.
Is your drill a potential ShakeOut Media Venue?
If your drill on October 15 will include interesting visuals or activities and will be suitable for the news media to attend, please email info@shakeout.org. Include your current plans for your drill, and describe any media outreach you have done or plan to do. Please include your full contact information so we can contact you.
Resources for your drill or for encouraging others to participate:
- Be sure to download the 2009 "ShakeOut Drill Broadcast" recordings to play during your drill! They will also be played on radio stations listed on the website.
- Printed ShakeOut flyers in five languages for you to distribute can be mailed to you. See instructions at ShakeOut.org/resources under "Year Round Flyers."
- A calendar of events is now at Shakeout.Org/calendar, and more events are being added daily. Use the "contact us" form to describe other events that should be listed.
- Multi-level drill manuals for schools, businesses, non-profits and other organizations, and government agencies have also been added. These and other materials are listed on ShakeOut.org/resources and for each group at ShakeOut.org/howtoparticipate.
- New materials have also been added to the ShakeOut.org/schools page, including drill planning documents and checklists, take-home materials, and educational curricula.
- Our www.dropcoverholdon.org site has also been updated. Be sure to play the "Beat the Quake" game to learn how to secure your space!
- You can also follow the ShakeOut on twitter and on Facebook
School Preparedness Surveys
California schools and districts are encouraged to complete one of the following new surveys prepared by Risk RED, an international school disaster education organization:
ShakeOut 2009 Individual School Preparedness Survey
ShakeOut 2009 School District Preparedness Survey
From now through October 15, we will send you weekly updates about the ShakeOut, preparedness tips and other information. As a registered participant, you can log in with your access code to update your participation details. Use the map on the main page of ShakeOut.org to follow how many people are registered in each area of the state, and visit your county page to see who in your county is participating.
Your involvement in the ShakeOut inspires many others to participate. Please encourage everyone you know to register at www.ShakeOut.org/register!
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