Following FEMA’s “National Preparedness Month” in September, UCR will be joining individuals and communities throughout California in the twelfth annual Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill.

Held annually on the third Thursday of October, the ShakeOut International Day of Action is set for Thursday, October 21, 2021, at 10:21 AM. During the self-led drill, participants practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.”

Endorsed by emergency officials and first responders, the safe response to an earthquake is to:

DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and allows you to stay low and crawl to shelter nearby.

COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand

• If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter

• If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall (away from windows)

• Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs

HOLD ON until shaking stops

• Under shelter: hold on to it with one hand; be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts

• No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.

UCR will be testing all Campus Emergency Communication Systems during the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill, including Emergency Notification System, Campus Email, R’Space, R’Web, 888-UCR-WARN, UCR Staff Voicemail, and testing of the ALERTUS System (including the Belltower Beacon). Due to COVID-19, this year’s building evacuation drills will not occur.

The State of California coordinates the Great California ShakeOut, the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium and its other Member and Associate States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, and dozens of other partners. The ShakeOut is coordinated globally by the Southern California Earthquake Center in Los Angeles, California.