Thousands of people participate in the Utah Shake Out

This archived article was written by: Valeria Moncada

Throughout Utah, 930,000 people participated in the great Utah ShakeOut held at 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, April 17, 2012. This drill was the largest in Utah history. Over 3,000 people participated in Castle Country alone. The motto of the drill was “Drop, Cover and Hold on.” Federal, state and local emergency experts and other official prepared organizations all agree that “Drop, Cover, and Hold on” are the appropriate actions to reduce injury and death during earthquakes. The ShakeOut is an opportunity to practice how to protect individuals during earthquakes. Here are some tips of what to do if there happens to be an earthquake near you. Find a table or a desk. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, drop to the ground in an inside corner of the building and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms. Do not try to run to another room to get under a table. The main point of this drill is to teach individuals to protect themselves as best as possible no matter where they are. Earthquakes can strike anywhere, anytime. So remember to “Drop, Cover and Hold on” immediately. Vice Chancellor Brad King was in charge of the campus drill.