Millions Worldwide To Participate In 2018 Great Shakeout Earthquake Drills

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17, 2018/PRNewswire/ -- Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills, regionally organized campaigns linked together as a worldwide preparedness movement spanning 60+ countries, are involving more than 58 million people (and counting) in earthquake safety activities throughout 2018. Most participants practice how to "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" though many choose to do much more. ShakeOut organizers recommend people follow the Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety to get fully prepared to survive and recover from the next damaging earthquake.

While earthquake drills held any day of the year can be registered at ShakeOut.org, many will participate on International ShakeOut Day (Thursday, October 18). More than 21.5 million people around the world are expected to participate on October 18, including more than 18.4 million people within the United States and its territories. Registration is ongoing and these numbers will increase; check ShakeOut.org for current totals.

"ShakeOut encourages cross-sector, whole community conversation and action about earthquake preparedness, inspiring people to make better decisions for how they can prepare to survive and recover," said Mark Benthien, Global ShakeOut Coordinator and Outreach Director for the Southern California Earthquake Center at the University of Southern California. "We're all in this together!"

Recommended actions for a variety of special situations (in a theater, in a car, etc.) and for people with disabilities are described at EarthquakeCountry.org/step5 in the form of text, graphics, and videos, for a variety of learners.

"Earthquakes can happen in any community at any time," said Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long. "I encourage everyone to participate in ShakeOut because it's a quick and easy way to get the training needed to keep you safe in the event of an earthquake."

KEY MEDIA RESOURCES:

ShakeOut.org/media – guidance for promoting and reporting on ShakeOut, lists of ShakeOut media venues, recent releases and contacts

ShakeOut.org/messaging – B-Roll, still graphics, and animated GIFs to aid reporting on general preparedness and ShakeOut

CONTACT:

Jason Ballmann
Southern California Earthquake Center
Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills
213.740.1560
ballmann@usc.edu

ShakeOut.org, is managed by the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) at the University of Southern California, with funding from the National Science Foundation, United States Geological Survey, and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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SOURCE Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills