Join Us for the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill

On October 18, at 10:18 a.m., the Lewis & Clark community will participate in the Great Oregon Shakeout earthquake drill, which consists primarily of 60 seconds of “drop, cover, and hold on.”  

Your participation in this drill is very important for practicing what to do and minimizing injury during an earthquake—a small but vital step in the process of being ready for such an event.  

Please prepare yourself for the drill by observing the following guidelines:

Before the drill

• Think about where you will be at 10:18 a.m. on October 18, a Thursday. What kind of furniture does the room you will be in contain? Will it be possible to get under something during an earthquake? If not, consider how you can use the configuration of the room to best protect yourself. Get away from unbolted furniture and windows, sit or crouch next to an interior wall, and cover your head. Do not plan to exit the room or stand in a doorway during an earthquake, as these are unsafe options.

• If you want to use sound effects to accompany your drill, download this mp3 provided by the Great Oregon Shakeout onto your classroom, office, or personal computer ahead of time.

During the drill

• At 10:18 a.m. on October 18, everyone with an lclark.edu email address will receive an email announcing the drill. Those who have configured their emergency alerts via WebAdvisor emergency alert preferences will also receive an automated phone message and a text message announcing the commencement of the drill. If you have not yet done so, please update your Emergency Notification Settings.

• If you do not receive an alert by 10:22 a.m., initiate the drill on your own.

• Play the sound effects mp3 if desired.

• Drop, cover, and hold on to table or desk legs, if available. If not available, crouch next to an interior wall or a stable piece of furniture.

After the drill

• Although this drill does not include an evacuation, consider spending a few minutes discussing what your next steps would be. Each classroom contains a laminated card with information about what to do in the event of an emergency. It shows the sites to which people in each academic building would evacuate; find the appropriate gathering site for your building.

• Each classroom also contains a booklet with more detailed emergency response information. What else do you want or need to know about your next steps?

• Develop a family disaster plan, assign roles or duties for each family member, and do the same for people in your neighborhood.
• Please take one minute to complete this survey. Campus Safety values community feedback, as it allows them to address concerns and continually strive to build upon preparedness efforts.

Learn How to Survive for Two Weeks in the Aftermath of a Major Disaster

Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) urges everyone to be 2 Weeks Ready for earthquakes and other disasters. To that end, the agency has developed a series of lively one-minute videos, viewable on the OEM YouTube channel, to inform and educate the public.

The “2 Weeks Ready” campaign was launched by Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management in 2016 in conjunction with the Great ShakeOut. It aims to inspire citizens to be self-sufficient for two weeks in the aftermath of a major disaster. A series of brochures, a Facebook page and Twitter feed (@2WeeksReady) provide information, resources and assistance with disaster preparedness planning.

Follow-up Panel Discussion

1. After the drill, you will have a chance to complete a short survey about your participation and submit questions you may have thought of during the drill.

For information on procedures to follow in campus emergencies, please visit the Campus Safety website.