‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’ October 18 at 10:18 a.m.

ShakeOut B.C. exercise will include community-wide test of the SquamishAlert and emergency kit sale

B.C.’s largest earthquake drill is set to return on Thursday, October 18 when Squamish joins residents across the province to ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’ at precisely 10:18 a.m. More than 710,000 British Columbians will take part in the annual exercise aimed at raising awareness about how to prepare to survive and recover quickly from major earthquakes. This year’s Squamish ShakeOut campaign includes emergency kit sales that will raise funds for the Squamish Hospice Society.

The District of Squamish encourages all residents and businesses to participate. Part of the exercise will involve a test of the SquamishAlert emergency notification system that will send a test emergency message from the District of Squamish to all subscribed residents. More than 2,900 residents have signed up for this free alert system that delivers urgent information and instructions by voice, email and text. Residents can sign up or ensure their existing profile is up to date at squamish.ca/alert.

“This brief earthquake drill may seem simple, but it could save the lives of you and your loved ones should an actual emergency event occur. Knowing what to do during those critical first few minutes of an earthquake or natural disaster is key,” says District of Squamish Mayor Patricia Heintzman. “The District has a robust emergency plan in place, but it’s up to the community to ensure we’re prepared for our own individual safety, especially during those first critical 72 hours, and ideally one week.” 

Having an up-to-date emergency kit is one of the best way to prepare for an emergency at home or on the go. The District of Squamish Emergency Program has partnered with the Squamish Hospice Society to offer personal, family, pet and vehicle emergency kits for sale with $25 from the sale of each kit benefitting the Squamish Hospice Society. Each kit has a five-year shelf life from the date of manufacturing and will be available for pick-up at the Squamish Hospice Foundation. Watch for details early next week on how to place an order.

District employees across all municipal buildings will participate in this exercise, along with children in all of our schools. Tune into Mountain FM where you will hear an audio simulation of an earthquake at 10:18 a.m. For more information and to register for the Great B.C. Shake Out, visit http://shakeoutbc.ca.

To learn more about local emergency preparedness visit https://squamish.ca/our-services/emergency-program/. To sign up for the SquamishAlert emergency visit http://squamish.ca/alert.  

October 12, 2018