PORTLAND, Ore. — An earthquake drill called The Great Shakeout is happening across the country on Thursday. People all over will be practicing how to drop, cover, and hold.
More than 700,000 people in Oregon and more than 180,000 in Southwest Washington have said they're going to participate in the big drill at 10:17 a.m. on Thursday.
The hope is that if the big one hits, we're all ready. So the question is, are you prepared for a devastating earthquake? How about your friends or family?
To try to get the word out about being prepared, and to make our response to an earthquake muscle memory, the Great Oregon and Washington Shakeouts are happening.
"There's millions of people that have signed up across the country, and here in Oregon we've got over 700,000 people registered for the Great Oregon Shakeout and that’s a record setting number for this year which is pretty impressive," said Andrew Phelps, the director of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.
He said your first response should be to drop, cover, and hold. If you’re trapped, the best thing to do is not move and stay calm. Instead of shouting, find other ways to make noise.
Other good ideas include having a preparedness kit that includes water, food, and other emergency supplies.
"We want to encourage people to at least be ready for two weeks to survive on your own with supplies, medication, first aid equipment," Phelps said.
But it's not just about provisions. Knowing how to shut your gas off or that the water in your water tank is perfectly fine to drink are good things to be aware of.
"It's being creative, thinking about the things you do have access to and how you can leverage those things to become a disaster survivor not a disaster victim," Phelps said.
The Great Shakeout happens at 10:17 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17.
Every year the drill happens in the third week of October. It's when the Loma Prieta earthquake happened during the 1989 World Series in California.
It was a 6.9 magnitude quake that damaged bridges, buildings, and killed people too.
Over the years, KGW has done numerous stories on the likelihood of a devastating earthquake hitting the region. Just last month, we aired a special, longer piece on being prepared. Find it, and other helpful videos on our YouTube page.