Earthquake ShakeOut Drill

Chabot College participates in the annual Great American ShakeOut Earthquake Drill.

Prepare and be ready

Whether we live in an earthquake country or may visit an area where earthquakes are possible, we need to know how to protect ourselves during earthquakes. Many out-of-state and international students may have never experienced an earthquake and have had little to no earthquake preparedness education. Some of us may know what to do, but have not practiced protecting ourselves since we were children.
Please help us keep our students and community prepared and safe by encouraging participation in the Great America ShakeOut earthquake drill.

See the Drill Calendar

What you’ll practice

Each year, more than 25 million people participate in Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills worldwide, in K-12 schools, colleges, businesses, government agencies, other organizations, and households.
Participants practice "Drop, Cover, and Hold On” (and other aspects of their emergency plans):

DROP to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!),

COVER your head and neck with your arms and seek additional shelter by getting under a sturdy desk or table if nearby, and

HOLD ON to your shelter and be prepared to move with it until the shaking stops.

Guidelines for most situations

If there is no table or desk near you, drop to the ground and then, if possible, get next to an interior wall of the room.
Be in a crawling position to protect your vital organs, be ready to move if necessary, and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms.
Do not move to another location or run outside.
Earthquakes occur without warning and may be so violent that you cannot run or crawl.

Guidelines for specific settings

Indoors: Drop, Cover, and Hold On. Avoid exterior walls, windows, hanging objects, tall furniture, televisions, and cabinets with heavy objects or glass. Do not try to move more than 5-7 feet before getting on the ground. Do not go outside during shaking! (Exterior building materials and glass can fall and may hit you as you exit.) If seated and unable to drop to the floor: bend forward, cover your head with your arms, and Hold On to your neck with both hands.

In a multiple-floor building: Drop, Cover, and Hold On. Avoid windows and other hazards. Do not use elevators. Do not be surprised if sprinkler systems or fire alarms are activated.

In a classroom: Drop, Cover, and Hold On. Laboratories or other settings may require special considerations to ensure safety. Students should also be taught what to do at home or in other locations.

In a stadium or theater: Drop to the ground in front of your seat or lean over as much as possible, then cover your head with your arms (as best as possible), and Hold On to your neck with both hands until shaking stops. Then walk out slowly, watching for anything that could fall during aftershocks.

Outdoors: Move to an open space if you can safely do so; avoid power lines, trees, signs, buildings, vehicles, and other hazards. Then Drop, Cover, and Hold On. This protects you from any objects that may be thrown into the air, even if nothing is directly above you.

Driving: Pull over to the side of the road, stop, and set the parking brake. Avoid overpasses, bridges, power lines, signs, trees, and other hazards. Stay inside the vehicle until the shaking stops, then proceed carefully by avoiding fallen debris, cracked or shifted pavement, and emergency vehicles. If a power line falls on the car, stay inside until a trained person removes the wire.

For More

Read step 5 on the Earthquake Country Alliance website.

More Resources from the Earthquake Country Alliance

Campus Evacuation

Join & be prepared

We encourage all students, staff, and faculty to participate in the annual ShakeOut drill to be better prepared and more likely to stay safe when the "big one" strikes.

For instructors
A Shake Out instructional guide and 4-slide PowerPoint presentation for instructors in their classes and laboratories are available at the ShakeOut.org webpage.

DRILL CALENDAR