Great California ShakeOut a Success at Local Hospital

This month marks the 23rd anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, which shook the greater Bay Area in 1989. Seismic shake ups are fairly common around here, regular reminders that we need to be prepared for a big event.

On Thursday, Oct. 18, Mills-Peninsula Health Services  joined more than nine million other participants in the Great California ShakeOut, the largest earthquake drill ever. Mills-Peninsula was one of eight health care facilities (about 3,000 people) to take part in the 2012 ShakeOut in San Mateo County.

Beginning at 10:18 a.m., organizations throughout the state practiced how to be safer during a major earthquake.

“This drill gave us an opportunity to practice the best quake-safe action: drop, cover and hold on,” says Deborah Tauscher, Mills-Peninsula’s emergency preparedness coordinator.

Many people are unaware that the best practice advice for earthquake safety has changed over the years, she said.

“Some responses we learned years ago are outdated and dangerous – for example, standing in a doorway or running.”

Earthquakes may be so violent that you cannot run or crawl, and if you do start moving around, you are much more likely to be injured by falling or flying objects. Remember, that the best response is to drop, cover and hold on.

The Great California ShakeOut website features resources for earthquake safety.

In a major earthquake, the one-year-old Mills-Peninsula Medical Center is one of the safest buildings in the U.S. Base isolation technology ensures that the building will remain structurally sound, while all the technologies inside are protected. The hospital will withstand an 8.5 temblor centered in Burlingame and remain open for business as usual.

Drills like this week’s ShakeOut keep staffs’ emergency preparedness knowledge and skills honed – just in case.