Sign Up to ShakeOut Victoria on October 19

Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2017

For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, BC – Get ready to ShakeOut Victoria! A month from now on October 19, thousands of British Columbians will Drop, Cover, and Hold On! at 10:19 a.m. for two minutes in the Great British Columbia ShakeOut (ShakeOut BC) province-wide earthquake drill.

The City of Victoria is proud to be participating in the drill and encourages Victoria households, schools, businesses, organizations, and media to sign up online to participate at: ShakeOutBC.ca

The ShakeZone magnitude 8.0 earthquake simulator that visited Centennial Square last week is a reminder that Victoria has a one-in-three probability of a damaging earthquake in the next 50 years – and we need to be prepared.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On! is the best thing you can do to reduce injury and death during an earthquake. The drill is an opportunity to practise how to protect yourself during an earthquake and to increase awareness on the need for an emergency kit and a plan to reconnect with loved ones after a major disaster.

Drop, Cover and Hold On! means:

• DROP to the floor (before the earthquake drops you)
• Take COVER under a desk or sturdy piece of furniture and protect your head and torso, and
• HOLD ON to the piece of furniture until the shaking stops (once the shaking stops count to 60 before you get up to allow things to settle)

Emergency Management Victoria is offering free emergency preparedness workshops this fall. Learn what families and businesses need to have on hand to cope up to seven days without outside assistance. Sign-up for Vic-Alert, the City of Victoria’s emergency notification service to receive updates by text, phone or email on emergencies and major disasters that may impact you. For more information: VictoriaReady.ca.