The Great ShakeOut earthquake drill on October 19 will involve 20 million people who will practice what to do if a quake strikes, including "drop, cover and hold on," the protocol recommended by earthquake safety experts as essential for avoiding injury and even death.
In 2016, more than 55 million people across the United States and in more than 60 other countries participated.
ShakeOut is a one-minute drop, cover, and hold on drill at the minimum, though people are encouraged to do much more, such as follow the 7 steps to earthquake safety.
Staying stationary safer than running
"Everyone, everywhere should know how to protect themselves in an earthquake," said Mark Benthien, Global ShakeOut Coordinator and Outreach Director at the Southern California Earthquake Center. "The ongoing fires in Northern California, September's earthquakes in Mexico, and recent hurricanes remind us that we're all in this together."
According NBC News, research has shown that staying stationary is almost always safer than running, even if it goes against your natural inclination to flee, said Lori Dengler, an emeritus professor of geology at Humboldt State University in Northern California.
"What we're really trying to do with Shakeout is instill a new instinct, which is to drop down. And once you've dropped down, wherever you are, you can't run. So that anchors you in one place and then if you can, slide under a desk or a table, that's great," she said.
"The Great California ShakeOut is such an important opportunity for us all to practice what to do the instant the ground starts to shake — drop, cover and hold on," said Glenn Pomeroy, CEO of the California Earthquake Authority. "This simple drill can help save lives when we get hit by the next big earthquake that scientists assure us is coming."
Risk across U.S., not just in California
A 2014 study led by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) found that by the year 2043, the probability of Southern California experiencing one or more magnitude-6.7 or larger earthquakes was 72%, NBC News reports. But it's not just California that is susceptible to earthquakes.
There's not a single part of the United States that can't have an earthquake," Dengler said. "We're all at risk. The real important thing about Shakeout is developing the muscle memory to do the right thing when the ground is shaking, and the right thing is to basically not move."
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