Wednesday 26 September | The Faultline forum – Lessons for Wellington from the Canterbury earthquakes

ShakeOut is happening at 9.26 am on September 26 this year.

What is ShakeOut? It’s a Ministry of Civil Defence initiative to draw everyone’s attention to earthquake preparedness. Right now, we have more than one million people registered to take part!

Are you registered for this NZ-wide earthquake drill? Further information is available on the Civil Defence website: http://www.getthru.govt.nz/web/GetThru.nsf

By registering for the ShakeOut, you will:

Be part of the largest-ever earthquake drill in New Zealand!
Help motivate others to Get Ready and Get Thru
Make sure you, your family and your co-workers know what to do when the next earthquake happens.

Essential details
• Date and time: Wednesday 26 September at 9.26 am
• Drill starts: 9.26am with air-horn blast, school bell ringing, radio siren (hear it here) or whatever arranged (please, no fire alarms)
• Action to take: DROP, COVER and HOLD
• Drill ends: Air-horns or other agreed signal means the exercise is over.

Groups may wish to discuss potential further action, had this been a real event and not a drill. You can download an observer form and a post-drill workplace discussion sheet (PDF) from the Get Thru site, which might be useful for reflecting on what went well and what didn’t.

Thanks for getting on board 🙂

What would you do in a real earthquake? Here’s the Civil Defence advice:

Drop to the ground

Cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table

Hold on to it until the shaking stops.

If you are indoors, stay there until the shaking stops and you are sure it is safe to go outside.
If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees, streetlights and power lines, then drop, cover and hold. Stay there until the shaking stops.
If you are driving, pull over to a clear location, stop and stay there with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops. Drive carefully and avoid bridges or ramps that might have been damaged.
If you are within a tsunami zone on the coast, then move inland or to higher ground as soon as possible.

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