Giant Earthquake Drill Comes To La Mesa: Great ShakeOut Is Today

LA MESA, CA — Get ready to drop, cover and hold on this Thursday on the state’s biggest earthquake preparedness day.

At 10:20 a.m., individuals, communities, families and all sorts of organizations will take part in the Great California ShakeOut, a giant earthquake preparation drill. Already, 9.4 million people in California and 43.9 million around the world have registered to participate.

During the drill, participants will practice the “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” protocol for an earthquake. Groups and individuals are also encouraged to review their emergency plans, work on securing their spaces, and review their earthquake insurance policies.

Shakeout.org provides a number of resources, including customized toolkits and PowerPoint presentations, and instructions for how to register your drill. Registered participants will receive resources on how to prepare, and be counted in the largest-ever earthquake drill.

The exercise comes every year to remind Californians of the precautionary measures necessary to protect themselves from a seismic event.

Here are some registered participating organizations in La Mesa:

• Helix Charter High School
• JCS Manzanita
• La Mesa-Spring Valley School District
• Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School
• St. Martin Academy
• The Learning Choice Academy
• Vista Hill Parent Care, Administration

Click here for a complete list of organizations participating in San Diego County.

Patch Editor Michael Whittner contributed to this report.