Oct. 20 is International ShakeOut Day, which gives schools, businesses, organizations and individuals a chance to review their disaster plan.

By Mary O’KEEFE

The ShakeOut, which began as the Great ShakeOut in Southern California in 2008, was originally a drill designed to educate the public on how to protect themselves during a large earthquake and how to prepare for the “big one.” The event has now expanded to 20 official ShakeOut regions, according to www.ShakeOut.org. It begins at 10:20 a.m. on Oct. 20 (10:20 on 10/20). It is not as much a coordinated effort between agencies but instead is a time set aside for participants to review their earthquake emergency plan.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. at Crescenta Valley Station will be participating in next Thursday’s ShakeOut.

“We are going to participate by doing the procedure we would normally do [when an earthquake occurs],” said Sgt. John Gilbert, CV Station.

Personnel at the station will focus on the station’s reaction to an earthquake. Field units will be able to receive information about damage to facilities and important thorough ways, including freeway overpasses, and schools.

Gilbert said he has some pre-designated areas that will simulate moderate-to-high level damage. The station deputies will go to these locations, estimate the simulated damage and report back to the station’s command center.

The recently purchased mobile command center is more for responses to events like wildfires. In the case of an actual earthquake the command center, which is located at the station, will be where all damage information is collected then a determination made regarding emergency response.

Gilbert has reached out to members of the Disaster Communication Service (DCS members are ham radio operators who volunteer with the CV Station) and to the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) to have them participate in the drill; however, being a weekday it is difficult for some members to get off work, he said.

Regardless of who is able to participate, Gilbert recommends community members review their individual safety plans.

“I think this is a good time to go over your disaster plan,” Gilbert said. He added that when a large earthquake occurs people, businesses and organizations could be without services for a long time – estimates are from several days to several weeks.

“The reality is hospitals, fire and law enforcement [departments] will be overwhelmed,” he said.

Gilbert pointed to the recent flooding and damage Floridians are recovering from due to Hurricane Ian.

“I think the example of Florida is a great lesson for us to learn from,” he said. “When we have wildfires they can be quick and devastating but … you can go five to 10 miles away to safety. [When] we have an earthquake it is a regional disaster.”

The City of Glendale is also participating in the ShakeOut this year. At 10:20 a.m. employees will drop, cover and hold on.

“We’re also using this as an opportunity to exercise our emergency plan to ensure preparedness for any emergency,” said Solene Manoukian, community relations coordinator for the City of Glendale.

Earthquake damage normally affects a wide area, which limits not only emergency response but also the ability to get supplies to those who need them. That is why it is so important for people to be prepared for an emergency, having items available like water, food and medical supplies.

Although there is not a way to predict an earthquake there are earthquake warning system applications that are available including MyShake, the first app powered by ShakeAlert that provides statewide earthquake early warning alerts.

The ShakeOut website, www.shakeout.org, has information on how to participate on Oct. 20 and how to prepare any day for a large earthquake.

Advice on how people could protect themselves used to be get in a doorway but that has been replaced with drop, cover and hold on.

“[Drop]: Wherever you are, drop down to your hands and knees and hold onto something sturdy. If you are under a table or desk, hold on with one hand and be ready to move with it if it moves. Cover your head and neck with your arms. [Hold on] to a near by sturdy table or desk, crawl underneath it for shelter. If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall away from windows. Crawl only if you can reach better cover without going through an area with more debris. Stay on your knees or bent over to protect vital organs,” according to ready.gov.

According to the USGS, “An earthquakeis what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. The surface where they slip is called the fault or fault plane … The tectonic plates are always slowly moving but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth’s crust and cause the shaking we feel.”

Within the next 30 years there is a 60% probability the Los Angeles area will experience a 6.7 magnitude earthquake, a 46% that there will be a magnitude 7 and 31% of experiencing an earthquake measuring a 7.5 magnitude, according to USGS.