Canada's largest earthquake drill just happened, and I joined in on the action.
Great British Columbia ShakeOut is meant to prepare us for what to do in case of an earthquake — which according to the organizers of the event is not unlikely to happen in B.C.
The drill was at 10.21 a.m on October 21 across Canada and here's how it went.
Registration
First I registered for the event. I added in my personal information, and they sent me an email with some important info.
You can actually view the resources they give you at any time, which is great for anyone who wants to stay prepared and couldn't join this particular event.
The Drill
You can download the audio that the radio broadcasted, or watch it on YouTube, as I did.
ShakeOut BC Drill Broadcast Video (with Sound Effects)
I hit "play" and followed the instructions — DROP, COVER. AND HOLD ON.
I scooted under my desk and grabbed on. Even though it felt kind of silly without the actual earthquake part, I did learn a few things.
Get Your Co-Workers To Join In
Because it was during the workday, I got some Narcity co-workers to join in!
Even though we work from home, we all got down and held on!
ELIA ESSEN | Narcity
What I Learned
When you take cover, make sure to hold onto a sturdy object, so not my chair with wheels.
If you aren't close to something, stay low and use your arms to protect your head.
If you're near the ocean during an earthquake, like I am in B.C., count to 60 after the shaking stops and then move to high ground. This is because of the risk of a tsunami. This kind of freaked me out, so I reviewed the tsunami drill.
The biggest take-away from that was to get to high ground and follow your local evacuation plan.
Aside from an earthquake, another warning sign for a tsunami is "a noticeable and unnaturally rapid drop in sea level as the ocean retreats seaward and exposes the seafloor," according to the document on the ShakeOutBC website.
So next time I'm at the beach, I'm keeping my eyes on the tide.
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