The state of California has been dubbed “earthquake country” thanks to an infamous 800–mile–long crack otherwise known as the San Andreas Fault that travels along the state from the Salton Sea in the south to Cape Mendocino in the north.
Earthquakes occur daily in California because there are thousands of fault lines that run up and down the state. Most of these quakes go unnoticed. While some areas of California are more likely to have earthquakes than others, all of California is at greater risk compared to the rest of the country.
You could be anywhere when an earthquake strikes: at home, work, school, even on vacation.
It is not a matter of if the “big one” will occur, but when.
On September 19, 2017, the anniversary of the 1985 earthquake that devastated Mexico City, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck central Mexico again and served as a stark reminder that here in California we must prepare for the inevitable.
The Great California ShakeOut is happening Thursday, October 19th at 10:19am.
This annual statewide earthquake drill serves as a crucial reminder for all residents and visitors of The Golden State to practice how to prepare and be safe during earthquakes by remembering to Drop! Cover! and Hold On!
The ShakeOut was organized to encourage you, your community, your school or your organization to practice, review and update emergency preparedness plans and supplies (see last month’s National Preparedness Month post), and to secure your space in order to reduce damage and injuries during an earthquake.
As residents of California, what we do now will determine our quality of life after our next big earthquake.
Are you prepared to survive and recover quickly?
For more earthquake preparedness information resources visit earthquakecountry.org. Also, if you’re interested in finding out which fault line is near you, visit the Fault Activity Map of California courtesy of the California Geological Survey through the California Department of Conservation.
