Massive Statewide Earthquake Drill Today

Don't be too alarmed if your regular Thursday morning meeting is interrupted by random sirens and coworkers diving under their desks today. It's all (probably) just part of the Great California ShakeOut, a statewide earthquake drill scheduled to rock our collective world at 10:21am.

The ShakeOut is an annual drill meant to encourage unprepared folks like ourselves to think about whether we're ready for both a major earthquake and its potential aftermath. At 10:21am today, schools, offices, hospitals, and the like (not to mention plain old individuals) will be acting as though a major earthquake has hit the area. You may hear or see a specially-produced drill broadcast -- complete with earthquake sound effects! When that happens, here's what the experts say you should do:

• DROP to the ground
• Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and
• HOLD ON to it until the shaking stops

Of course there won't actually be shaking, but you get the idea. Contrary to what we've thought since childhood, you definitely don't want to hide under a doorway -- they offer no protection. And don't run outside, either. "You are much more likely to be injured by falling or flying objects (TVs, lamps, glass, bookcases, etc.) than to die in a collapsed building." So, basically, a desk or a table -- those are your friends. Especially if you're in an IKEA showroom, apparently. As of this writing, 7,849,136 people are registered to participate in the drill, including 348,837 in San Francisco. Which is almost half the population. (Can that possibly be right?) So, get your ShakeOut on today, and prep for that inevitable day when The Big One rips California from the rest of the mainland and tosses us all into the ocean, as our east coast friends and family have led us to fear. Besides, you probably want to crawl under your desk at work all the time -- today you'll finally have an excuse.