Emergency Preparedness Week: The Great ShakeOut

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY | If an earthquake were to hit tomorrow, would you be prepared for both the event and its aftermath?

The goal of LMU Emergency Management is to ensure that all Lions can confidently answer “yes.” Each October, LMU aligns its annual Emergency Preparedness Week with the Great ShakeOut, an international earthquake drill that encourages millions worldwide to practice drop, cover, and hold on.

Emergency preparedness remains just as critical while we live, learn, and work virtually. In the past, on-campus building representatives ensured that emergency kits were stocked and ready. In your new environment, do you have a kit ready? Are heavy objects and furniture secure?

As we each optimize our own, unique environment to be emergency ready, Emergency Management shares the below tips to help you prepare for the unexpected:

  • Check your emergency kit. It is important to ensure it is fully stocked and nothing has expired. You can use Public Safety’s Emergency Kit Checklist;
  • Be prepared locally. If you currently reside outside Los Angeles, learn how to plan for the events that may occur in your region. gov is a good place to start;
  • Have a communications plan with your household. Save paper copies of important phone numbers, including family members, doctors, and schools, and determine an emergency meeting spot. You can use FEMA’s template as a guide;
  • Be aware of ways to evacuate and prevent further injuries or damage. Check out Step 6 from the Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety for additional recommendations on safety actions after an earthquake.

Great ShakeOut | Thursday at 10:15 a.m. PDT
This Thursday, Emergency Management invites all Lions to join in the Great ShakeOut drill. At 10:15 a.m. PDT, you’ll receive an LMU Alert email prompting you to immediately DROP. COVER. HOLD ON. under a secure piece of furniture, away from windows and heavy objects. This is also a good opportunity to consider your safest exit routes in case of the need to evacuate.

For further earthquake tips, please visit Public Safety’s Earthquake Preparedness page. Additionally, you can follow along all week as Emergency Management shares preparedness tips for a range of natural disasters on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. Share with LMU how you prepare and practice the drop, cover and hold on by tagging #readyLMU on social media.

Annual Emergency Alert Test | Thursday at 10:15 a.m. PDT
LMU will also use the Great ShakeOut as an opportunity to test the university’s emergency alert system. These tests are federally mandated to be conducted twice annually. At 10:15 a.m., LMU Alert will send an email, text, Rave Guardian push notification, RSS, social media post, and Informacast notice, clearly denoted to be a mandatory test of the emergency alert system, to all registered devices.

logo-instagram