Great California ShakeOut Earthquake Drill Scheduled for Oct. 20

Dear campus community,

Major earthquakes can happen anywhere in California, and we need to know how to protect ourselves during them. Many of our out-of-state and international students may have never experienced an earthquake and have had little to no earthquake preparedness education. Some of us may know what to do but have not practiced how to protect ourselves since we were children.

Help us keep our campus community prepared and safe by encouraging participation in the Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 10:20 a.m.

The campus will activate alerts at 10:20 a.m. to begin the drill, which will last for approximately one minute.

Here’s what to do when you receive an alert:

• DROP to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!);
• COVER your head and neck with your arms and seek additional shelter by getting under a sturdy desk or table if nearby; and
• HOLD ON to your shelter and be prepared to move with it until the shaking stops.

If there is no table or desk near you, drop to the ground and, if possible, get next to an interior wall of the room. Be in a crawling position to protect your vital organs and be ready to move if necessary and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms. Do not move to another location or run outside. Earthquakes occur without any warning and may be so violent that you cannot run or crawl. These are guidelines for most situations; go to www.earthquakecountry.org/step5 to learn what to do in specific settings.

I hope that all students, staff and faculty will join me in participating in this year’s ShakeOut drill, so that all of us will be better prepared when the “big one” strikes.

Post a photo on social media with #CSUSMShakes to be entered into a drawing for a CSUSM gift card.

Thank you,

Jennifer Ralph
Emergency Manager