SALEM, Ore. — Millions of people worldwide participated in earthquake drills at work, school and at home on Thursday for International Shakeout day. In the Pacific Northwest, the drills are called the Great Oregon (or Washington) Shakeout.
The drill happened at 10:19 a.m. At that time, people dropped, covered and held on for 60 seconds like they would during an earthquake.
As part of KGW's Keeping You Safe initiative, Althea Rizzo with the Oregon Department of Emergency Management talked to KGW about a new program rolling out next spring aimed at helping people be more prepared in the event of an emergency or earthquake.
"The Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake is what we consider a big, bad one," Rizzo said. "Our fault zone runs from northern California up to the northern edge of Vancouver Island, so it's 700 miles long. So, when an earthquake happens, it's a 700-mile-long earthquake, and that means the entire Pacific Northwest is going to be involved."
Rizzo said the last Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake happened in the year 1700. She said there is a very large chance of it happening again in the next 50 years.
She went through a number of ways to keep you and your family safe in an earthquake.
Rizzo first mentioned a relatively new system called ShakeAlert. It was introduced in 2021 and allows people in California, Oregon and Washington to sign up to get a message sent to their cell phones, letting them know that shaking is about to start. She said it can give people tens of seconds of warning so they can get to a safe place.
Rizzo said the ShakeAlert system has the capability to do many things. It can bring elevators to the ground floor. She said a couple water systems are already using it to shut off valves so they don't lose drinkable water, and utility companies are also using it to shut down turbines. At this point, a number of health systems are looking at how it can be used as well, said Rizzo.
She also talked about the new program that the Oregon Department of Emergency Management is launching next spring.
"72 hours is a great place to start but we know that people need to be ready to be self sufficient for longer. So, we're starting a new program called 'Be 2 Weeks Ready.'"
She said the program will help people learn how to store food and clean water, and also teach people about best hygiene practices in an emergency.
"People are probably more prepared than they think," Rizzo said. "We hope Mother Nature gives us time. She may; she may not. We just know that we need to start getting prepared today for it."
While Rizzo said the new preparedness program starts next spring, there is already a website up with information. Rizzo gave us a few tips from the program.
First, she said figure out your family needs. Think about what you eat and drink. What are medications you need? Consider whether your family need diapers or pet food.
Also, the program stresses developing social connection, so get to know your neighbors. You may have to rely on each other in an emergency.
Additionally, think about going on a treasure hunt in your home. What do you already have? Are there gloves somewhere, flashlights or extra batteries?
Rizzo said after next year's Shakeout drill, the OEM is adding another preparedness activity called "The Great Oregon Camp In." It'll be an opportunity for families to practice what they've learned about getting prepared. The idea is to turn off the heat, water, lights and internet and camp inside their home from sundown Friday to Sunday afternoon.
Of course, there is a lot more to being prepared than the information covered here. Resources include websites for the OEM, ShakeAlert as well as the Red Cross.