Earthquake: Shake Out

Tomorrow morning, April 17th, at 10:15 AM, the state of Utah will be conducting the largest earthquake drill in state history. This drill will test our communications and preparedness structures. Due to the geographical nature of the LDS church setup, the State frequently uses church leadership and members to assist with coordinating efforts and communication. Each city should have a plan of action and communication. If you are unfamiliar with your area's plan, check with your local Bishop, or check your city's website. Our neighborhood plan consists of block captains and lieutenants who report to a coordinator. This coordinator reports to the bishop, who reports to the stake president, who reports to the city representative. It's important to know who your block captain is and get to know them. If you don't know who your block captain is, check with your bishop.

Our city's communication plan includes a laminated signal that residents are advised to place in their front window after the emergency passes. It is the basic size of a file folder, which can fold closed or opened. One side is green and says, "All Okay!" This side is displayed when all members of the household are fine and do not need medical attention or outside help. The second side is yellow and says, "Help Soon!" This side is displayed when there is a non life-threatening injury or a problem that requires outside help, but not immediately. The third side is red and says, "Help Now!!" This side is displayed when there is a life threatening injury or a problem which requires immediate help. Our city is asking us to display these signs in our windows tomorrow morning after we hold our earthquake drills in order to practice our communication chain. If you have not yet received your signal, ask your local bishop or block captain how to get yours TODAY so that you'll have it in time for the drill.

Utah Shake Out is the perfect time to get some planning done for yourself and your family. At our house, we realized that although the danger of an earthquake is really quite high in our state, our family has really never had any discussions or drills to prepare for such an event. So this morning we took the opportunity to have a real talk and a few drills and some fun. We live in a 70-year-old house, built before construction was done with seismic activity in mind. We had to make a few adjustments to the usual wisdom because of this. We also needed to make it clear to the kids that the plan for an earthquake is different from the plan for a fire.

We began by discussing a few facts:
*In our home, the doorways are not load-bearing, so we should NOT crouch in a doorway.
*Our home is made of un-reinforced masonry, so it is very important to take cover near an interior wall, away from crumbling brick and breaking windows.
*When taking cover, it is important NOT to run out of the house, because a large proportion of injuries happen when people are struck by falling debris while trying to get outside. It is therefore safer to stay where you are and not try to leave the house until the shaking stops.
*It can be very dangerous to wander from room to room looking for a safe place to take cover, so it's important to know the places in each room that are the "safe" places, and only move a few steps away from your original location.
*If you are in bed when an earthquake hits, it is best to stay put in the bed and cover your head with your pillows, instead of trying to move to a safer spot.

Then we went through the house, looking in each room for hazards and for the safest places to take cover.
*We looked for interior walls, especially corners.
*We checked for sturdy furniture to crouch under.
*We looked for hazards like falling items, glass, windows, etc. to stay away from.
*We looked for cupboards that could fly open and empty their contents, or large furniture such as book shelves that could come away from the wall and cause injuries.
*We looked up to see if there were any light fixtures that could potentially come down.

Finally, we had several practices in each room. I would yell, "Earthquake!" and the kids would move as quickly as they could to the closest safe place, duck down, cover their heads, and grab onto something sturdy close by (like the legs of a table if hiding under it).

We made a few discoveries and adjustments. For example, our poor 4-year-old would be a dead baby if left to his own devices. The poor kid just ran in circles from room to room screaming, "That's it! I'm dead! I'm dying!" He then made a "dead face" and fell to the floor. Nice. We adjusted by making sure the older kids knew to grab him if they are close by and take him with them to their safety spot. We also clearly need more practice. Some of the kids treated it like a game, while others took it very seriously. We saw that some of the kids didn't really have a clear understanding of what an earthquake is and what it looks like so we watched a few videos of earthquake footage. We discussed what people did right and what they did wrong in the videos, like taking cover vs running through the house, or staying put vs trying to run outside and getting crushed by falling debris.

Unfortunately, we have a lot of work to do to prepare for an earthquake, like securing furniture and water heaters, etc. But we are sure grateful for this drill and the attention it is helping us to focus on getting prepared. Here is a list of fantastic websites that can help you get prepared. Even one thing at a time (like holding your first earthquake drill) is a step in the right direction. We all have to start somewhere!

-Katie

Utah Shake Out
Ready.Gov Earthquake Info.
USGS Earthquake Info. Page