Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers!

The ShakeOutBC Drill is scheduled for 10:19 a.m. on October 19, 2023. This means that wherever you are at that moment—at home, at work, at school, anywhere—you should Drop, Cover, and Hold On as if there were a major earthquake occurring at that very moment, and stay in this position for at least 60 seconds. There will not be any highway closures, power outages, or other simulated effects of the hypothetical earthquake, unless your local government or utility company specifically notifies you about something of this nature. ShakeOutBC is not something you need to leave work to participate in—in fact, participating at work is encouraged! Businesses, organizations, schools, and government agencies can register and have their employees practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On or have a more extensive emergency drill.

The main goal of ShakeOutBC is to get British Columbians prepared for major earthquakes, so use the ShakeOutBC drill as an opportunity to learn what to do before, during, and after an earthquake. Visit the BC Government Website for tips on what to do.

Anyone in British Columbia can participate, from a single individual at their home to a major company at the office. Talk to your coworkers, neighbours and friends about the ShakeOutBC and encourage their participation. Sign up for free here to be counted in the ShakeOutBC Drill.

Most people will practice how they will Drop, Cover, and Hold On during a large earthquake, which only takes about one minute. Some organizations conduct more extensive drills, which may take an hour or even all day. How to participate is your choice.

The British Columbia ShakeOut will be held on the Third Thursday of October, every year.

The safest thing to do during an earthquake is “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.” Download our special report that describes how an alternative approach (“Triangle of Life”) is promoted with greatly exaggerated or wrong information, and is potentially very dangerous.

For posters, flyers, web banners, and other promotional items you can print or use, and for text of articles you may reprint in your newsletter or website, visit our resources page.

Everyone! We want every person who works, lives, and plays in British Columbia to participate in the drill. You can register just your family or your school, business, or organization. The best way to ShakeOutBC is to personalize the experience. If you will be at work at 10:20 a.m. on October 20, 2023, have your entire office practice what they would do in an earthquake. If you are at school, have your class participate in the drill. Make a plan with your family. Designate an out-of-state contact. Imagine a real earthquake and how you would actually react to it! Check out our registration page to register and participate.

The ShakeOutBC is a DRILL planned for October 19, 2023 at 10:19 AM. We are not predicting an earthquake to occur, though because British Columbia is a very seismically active region it’s not impossible.

Yes, we will be looking for some volunteer help. If you are interested, please email info@shakeoutbc.ca and provide contact information and what skills or resources you can provide.

Teach your kids to Drop, Cover, and Hold On. You can also play the ‘Earthquake Game’ where when anyone says “earthquake!” everyone has to pretend an earthquake is happening and practice their response. Teach your children that they should go under a table and hold on if one is near. If they are in a room without a table, crouch against an interior wall, away from windows. Find an “earthquake-safe” location in every room of the house so they don’t try to run during an earthquake.

Please email info@shakeoutbc.ca and you will be contacted shortly.

If you are in the ham radio community, the real question is, what will YOU be doing? What can you organize for your community? We ask that everyone interested in participating in the ShakeOutBC drill use every tool available to them to get the word out about earthquake safety and to take the steps they would take during an earthquake.

Unfortunately you may not have received information because your email software may consider the ShakeOutBC emails to be “spam” and block you from receiving them. The emails may be in your “junk” folder. Look for emails from info@shakeoutbc.ca.

Yes, you may. However, we do ask that you send us what you’re interested in reprinting if you are republishing information to a large audience, so that we can make sure that nothing is taken out of context or misrepresented. Email your request to info@shakeoutbc.ca.

Please email info@shakeoutbc.ca.

For information about how to create a disaster supplies kit, with suggestions for what to include for pet owners, please visit the Prepared BC page.