The Great Southern California ShakeOut

As mentioned in the article I wrote for the paper today, there is an earthquake drill coming up in Southern California on November 13. The sponsors, the U.S. Geological Survey, want YOU to participate.

And how would you participate? By practicing the old "duck and cover":

Why is important to do a Drop, Cover, Hold On drill? Just as with anything, to act quickly you must practice, practice, practice. In a big earthquake, there may be very little time to protect yourself before strong shaking knocks you down or drops something on you. Most earthquakes have a sharp jolt a few seconds before the strong shaking, and we need to Drop, Cover, Hold On immediately when we feel the jolt. By practicing we will act quickly, rather than waiting to see if the earthquake will be large. If it is, it may be too late to protect yourself.

It probably is actually a good idea to practice this, but considering the "earthquake" is scheduled to took place at 10 a.m., most people will be at work. It might seem a little strange for people to suddenly duck under their desks exactly at 10.

I would think a better use of your time, preparation wise, would be to go buy a few days worth of bottled water, a fire extinguisher, and some canned food and squirrel it away in the basement.

But here is where you sign up, just in case you are up to try it.