Get Healthy Carson City: Shake out – don’t freak out!

Thursday is International ShakeOut Day. At 10:18 a.m., millions of people across the world will participate in Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills. These drills last at least one minute and provide participants with the chance to practice their emergency plans and improve their level of preparedness.

During an earthquake, you may only have seconds to react and protect yourself. It’s important to think about how you’ll immediately protect yourself wherever you’re after the first jolt of an earthquake. To be ready to respond immediately and quickly, practice “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.”

Drop — Drop onto your hands and knees wherever you are. This protects you from being knocked over while keeping you low to the ground and allowing you to crawl to shelter.

Cover — Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand. If there’s a sturdy table nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter. If no table or desk is nearby, crawl to a wall that’s away from windows.

Hold On — Hold on until the shaking stops. If you have taken shelter under a sturdy table or desk, hold onto it with one hand and be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts. If you don’t have shelter, hold onto your head and neck with both arms and hands.

Being prepared for an earthquake is especially important for Nevadans. Nevada is located in “earthquake country” and over the last 150 years, the state has ranked third in the country in the number of large earthquakes. You never know when an earthquake is going to occur or how violent and destructive it will be. It’s important to know how to prepare for an earthquake, what to do during one, and how to take care of yourself after one happens.

Anyone in Nevada can participate in the 2018 ShakeOut Drill. Last year more than 590,000 Nevadans participated in the Great Nevada Shake Out. Many organizations including schools, healthcare facilities, and neighborhoods have registered to participate in the 2018 Great Nevada Shake Out, have you? Join your community and improve your level of preparedness, we’re all in this together. To register for the Great Nevada Shake Out, visit https://www.shakeout.org/nevada/register/. To see if your organization is registered, visit https://www.shakeout.org/nevada/whoisparticipating/.

Carson City Health and Human Services urges everyone to take steps to be better prepared for a disaster. For information about services and programs available to you through Carson City Health and Human Services, visit our website at gethealthycarsoncity.org, follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/cchhs, or call us at 775-887-2190. You can also find us at 900 E. Long St., in Carson City.