At 10 a.m. next Wednesday, thousands of Tri-City students, teachers, city workers, care providers, business owners and employees will hit the floor.
But they won't be searching for loose change or collecting dust bunnies under their desks. This group huddle is called the Great British Columbia ShakeOut and it is all about increasing awareness about what to do in an earthquake.
Organizers want participants to register at www.shakeoutbc.ca and then to drop, cover and hold on for up two minutes under a desk or table that day to simulate an earthquake event. The idea is to get 10% of the population of B.C. to participate and, so far, numbers are looking good because more than 310,000 people - including staff at The Tri-City News - have signed up.
"The whole thing is about protection, and trying to keep you safe from something falling," explained Cheryl Lalonde, the emergency program officer for the city of Port Coquitlam, which is participating in ShakeOut, along with Coquitlam, Port Moody, and several local schools and businesses.
Drop, cover and hold on is considered by emergency responders to be the best way to stay safe when an earthquake hits. It means that during an earthquake, people should drop to the ground, seek cover under a table, desk or other sturdy piece of furniture, and hold on for 60 seconds or more until things settle.
If there is no place to take cover, people should still drop next to a wall and cover their heads and necks. People who use wheelchairs or aren't able to get down on the floor or under a table can still protect themselves by getting near a wall and covering their heads and necks with their arms and hands.
During Wednesday's ShakeOut simulation, participants will hear a recording describing the shaking and actual consequences of a damaging earthquake as they take part in the drill. They'll also be asked to take a moment to look around their work stations so that when the simulation is over, they can remove dangerous items or secure anything that could topple over during a quake.
The hazard hunt "is all to protect yourself so you don't get hurt," Lalonde said.
The last time B.C. experienced a quake large enough to shut down power and communications was 10 years ago, in February 2001. While it was memorable, B.C. experiences about 400 earthquakes a year and earthquakes capable of causing structural damage (typically greater than magnitude 5) happen every decade or so.
And beyond the initial shaking, there are other concerns.
Karin Basi, Coquitlam's emergency program manager, said people should be able to look after themselves for 72 hours in an emergency.
"We do live in a very seismically active region," said Basi, who urged Coquitlam residents to take part in ShakeOut and to sign up for emergency preparedness courses offered through the city. "We would like people to think about preparedness so they are ready before something happens."
Both Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam are working with the BC Earthquake Alliance Society, which adopted the ShakeOut model from California, which has used it since 2008 and got nearly seven million people involved in 2009.
Port Moody is also participating in the ShakeOut drill and residents are encouraged to practise the drills at home and at work.
"Drills are an integral part of any emergency plan whether it is a family emergency plan or the city's. The results of our drills are as important as the drills themselves as we use this experience to evaluate and modify our plan to make it more effective," said Remo Faedo of PoMo Fire Department.
[email protected]
