City Urges Residents to Drop, Cover and Hold on for the Great ShakeOut
The City of Long Beach is encouraging all residents, businesses, schools, and visitors to take part in this year’s Great ShakeOut earthquake drill at 10:17 a.m. on Thursday, October 17, to practice what to do in the event of a major earthquake.
“The Ridgecrest earthquakes this past July serve as a reminder that we live in a region prone to earthquakes and we must know how best to survive them,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “Everyone, including residents, businesses, and visitors to our city, must know how to protect themselves during an earthquake.”
During an earthquake, people should drop to the floor, cover under a desk, table or other sturdy surface, and hold on until the shaking stops. During the Great ShakeOut, participants who are able should practice this drill. The Great ShakeOut also provides a preparedness guide for people with disabilities and access and functional needs.
“We want residents to be prepared to survive all disasters, especially earthquakes, the most probable disaster we could face,” said Reggie Harrison, Director of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications. “Earthquake faults crisscross Southern California; no one within the region is very far from an active fault, so we must be prepared at home and at work.”
In addition to participating in the earthquake drill, residents are encouraged to prepare to be self-sufficient for at least five days in the event of a large-scale incident. Residents should create an emergency plan for their home and family, put together an emergency supply kit, including food, water and tools, and make sure all family members know how to contact one another.
Further, all residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertLongBeach, the City’s mass notification system; download the ShakeAlertLA earthquake mobile app to receive early warnings of earthquakes occurring in Los Angeles County; and learn basic emergency medical techniques through Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training or the American Red Cross. To learn more about Disaster Preparedness, residents can visit www.longbeach.gov/DisasterPreparedness.
Home to approximately 470,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. As a full-service charter city, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Development Services and more. The City also has a highly-respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, five golf courses, 171 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths, and a Bike Share program.
For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit http://longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications
The mission of the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications is to protect the lives and property of the community and first responders through comprehensive planning, training and communication to ensure that daily requests for emergency services, as well as response, recovery, and mitigation for major emergencies and disasters is completed in an effective and efficient manner.
For additional information on disaster preparedness topics, please visit our website at www.longbeach.gov/DisasterPreparedness. To stay tuned to disaster preparedness news and information, follow us on Twitter @LongBeachReady or “Like” us on Facebook @LongBeachDisasterPreparedness.