Great ShakeOut earthquake drill set for Thursday

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is encouraging Americans to participate in this year’s Great ShakeOut earthquake drill on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 10:16 a.m.

“Past practice and previous participation in a drill can make all the difference in an emergency,” FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said. “Everyone should know how to drop to the ground, cover themselves under a sturdy table or desk, and hold on to it until the shaking stops. It needs to happen with enough regularity so that it becomes second nature during an actual earthquake.”

To register or learn how to participate, visit the Great Shakeout website.

Nearly 25 million people worldwide are expected to participate in this year’s Great ShakeOut, including more than 13 million students and nearly 1 million businesses. More than 10 million people are registered in California alone. (Click here for more info on the California ShakeOut.)

This year’s drill comes a day before the 25th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, which caused extensive damage throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

It also comes in the wake of a new report released by the U.S. Geological Survey that finds that four stretches of fault running under northern California are primed for quakes of magnitude 6.8 or more.