International ShakeOut Day is always the third Thursday of October. While COVID-19 has brought many uncertainties, one thing's for sure: ShakeOut is still happening this year! Join Thursday, October 21, for the Great California ShakeOut, the largest earthquake preparedness drill in California.  

Anyone is welcome to participate. You can hold your ShakeOut drill when and where you want. You can include people in multiple locations (home, work or school), perhaps through video conferencing.

While some areas of California are more likely to have earthquakes than others, all of California is at higher risk compared to the rest of the country. You could be anywhere when an earthquake strikes: at home, at work, at school or even on vacation.

The Great California ShakeOut is an annual opportunity to practice how to be safer during big earthquakes: "Drop, Cover and Hold On."

• Drop onto your hands and knees, which protects you from being knocked down and also allows you to stay low and crawl to shelter if nearby.
• Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand. If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter and stay on your knees. 
• Hold on to your shelter with one hand until shaking stops and be ready to move with it if it shifts. 
• If you have no shelter, hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.

Experts recommend “Drop, Cover and Hold,” because trying to move during shaking puts you at risk and the greatest danger to you is from falling and flying objects. Register with the Great California ShakeOut.