On October 16 at 10:16 a.m., Oregonians will have a chance to practice “drop, cover, and hold” as a part of the international Great ShakeOut exercise.
When a major earthquake hits Oregon, residents need to be prepared. The state lies in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, putting the area at risk of an earthquake.
To get people prepared, the state will be holding “The Great Oregon ShakeOut." This drill gives communities, schools, and other organizations a chance to practice their immediate responses to a tremor.
Jenny Demaris is the emergency manager from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office. She says more emergency readiness leads to more emergency preparedness.
Demaris: “We’re increasing that knowledge base with the goal being to have institutional knowledge for our citizens. You have to make this an institutionalized memory so when the ground shakes, you know what to do, you don’t have to think about it.”
Demaris says even those who can’t participate, can have a conversation about planning for “the big one”.
Lincoln County will be sponsoring an emergency readiness fair on October 25 at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds. The fair will have a demonstration on water purification and a presentation on how to prepare for the Cascadia Zone Earthquake.