The key to surviving an earthquake: Early warnings and advance preparation on how to respond. Experts say the best approach for individuals at work or at home during an earthquake is to have a way to be notified as early as possible about the potential risk.
The Great ShakeOut 2019 has helped educate tens of millions of participants worldwide on how best to prepare for an earthquake in their communities. In addition to providing important resources to businesses, municipalities and individuals, the drill illuminated the power of early warning systems and mass notifications.
As a company dedicated to keeping our clients and their communities informed and safe — especially in cases where unexpected dangers threaten public safety and human lives — we were pleased to once again join this critical drill as a United States Geological Survey ShakeAlert Research Affiliate.
International Shakeout Day was Oct. 17. There were more than 24 million participants worldwide. Regroup Mass Notification delivered more than 1.1 million alerts via email, SMS and calls during the drill, which is now in its 11th year.
Notably, more than half of the messages delivered were SMS straight to mobile devices. As a mass notification provider, we know our clients’ communities need to be reached wherever they are, whether through voice messages, emails or SMS.
In addition to having a system and strategy to be notified about an approaching earthquake, individuals are advised to drop, cover and hold on.
- Drop: Drop onto your hands and knees, to lessen the chance you will be knocked off balance and to keep from falling. The position will help you crawl to a safer location.
- Cover: Sturdy tables or desks can provide shelter and reduce the chances that you can get hit with debris. If there is no shelter, crawl next to an interior wall and away from windows.
- Hold on: Hold onto your shelter (if you have one) or cover your head and neck with both hands.
Regroup has been involved with earthquake safety and emergency preparedness since 2014. An early partnership with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the ShakeAlert program enabled Regroup to provide alerts for the first-ever automated, multilingual early earthquake warning notification system in the United States.
“Every second counts when it comes to warning people about an earthquake,” says Chris Utah, COO of Regroup. “Platforms like ours that can send millions of notifications in seconds is the key to saving lives and minimizing damage. The Great ShakeOut grows every year, which is a great testament to the increasing awareness about best-in-class early warning systems and advanced preparation.”
Additional resources:
Earthquake safety video series