‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’ October 20 at 10:20 a.m.

ShakeOut B.C. exercise will include community-wide test of the SquamishAlert

(October 19, 2022)  Squamish will once again join residents across the province to ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’ during B.C.’s largest earthquake drill returning Thursday, October 20 at 10:20 a.m. More than 520,000 British Columbians are set to take part in the annual exercise aimed at raising awareness about how to prepare to survive and recover quickly from major earthquakes wherever you live, work or travel. The Squamish exercise will also include a test of the SquamishAlert emergency notification system to all subscribed residents.

“This quick one-minute exercise could be the one that saves lives in the event of a real emergency, and reminds you to take a moment to ensure you’re prepared,” says District of Squamish Director of Public Safety Megan Latimer. “We encourage all residents to build or update their emergency kits, understand the hazards, and make an emergency plan with their household to ensure they’re well equipped for the first 72-hours of any natural disaster.”

More than 7,025 residents have signed up for SquamishAlert, the free local alert system that delivers emergency information and instructions by voice, email and text. Residents can sign up or update their existing profile at squamish.ca/alert.

District employees across all municipal buildings will participate in this exercise. Tune into Mountain FM for an audio simulation of an earthquake at 10:20 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 and learn about Squamish’s evacuation plan, visit https://squamish.ca/evacuate. 

To sign up for the SquamishAlert emergency, download the Voyent Alert! app or visit http://squamish.ca/alert.

October 19, 2022