The largest University to participate in the ShakeOut, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), will be executing a multi-tiered approach to the largest earthquake drill in our nation's history. UCLA's 68,000 participants will include emergency responders and emergency personnel, students, faculty, and staff.
On a campus-wide level, the University's Bruin Alert emergency system will be tested. This entails sending out emails and text messages to all those registered for Bruin Alert. Four outdoor alarm speakers will be tested, with a range that the majority of campus can hear. Emergency information will be available on the university radio station and cable TV channel. The group will debrief after the exercise is complete, and assess what aspects of the campus plan need improvement.
Other smaller events will be occurring all over campus. For example, the Earth and Space Sciences department will be doing a full-building evacuation, and has been working to educate those in the department about proper earthquake procedures. Many professional offices will be testing their emergency plans as well. A group of CERT volunteers will also be passing out ShakeOut information around campus.
One group attracting media attention will be the group of International Earthquake Conference attendees who will be on campus for the ShakeOut. They will be hearing about the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES). A link to the UCLA shake-table will show the live demonstration from about 10-11 AM in the NEES lab.
Still need to register for the ShakeOut? Go to www.shakeout.org/register to sign up!
