ShakeOut Showcase: University of California, Los Angeles

 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!

ShakeOut Showcase: City of Beverly Hills

The City of Beverly Hills, like many others in Southern California, is going above and beyond when it comes to participating in the ShakeOut.

What you see above is a copy of the proclamation that recognizes the City’s commitment to participating in the drill and spreading the word about the ShakeOut, and that fancy piece of paper isn’t just talk either.

The City of Beverly Hills has been raising awareness about the ShakeOut through a wide range of media. They have broadcast messages about the ShakeOut through the City’s 1500am emergency information station, the City’s text cable channel has been running info about the ShakeOut, and their website and their employees intranet is filled with posters and banners of the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history, urging everyone to participate.

Their outreach goes beyond that: they have held an emergency preparedness symposium, which attracted 42 businesses from the community that are now passing the word along to their employees; several additional ShakeOut presentations have been made to faith-based organizations and community groups; and the City featured Dr. Lucy Jones in their monthly forum series this September. Dr. Jones’ lecture has been posted online, check it out:

Beverly Hills Forum Series: Dr. Lucy Jones "Creating a Culture of Preparedness"

All employees of the City of Beverly Hills will be participating in the ShakeOut drill on November 13. Throughout all of the City’s facilities around 500 people, including customers, will be asked to Drop Cover and Hold On at 10 AM for a full 55 seconds while the ShakeOut Drill Broadcast (which is available for download at www.shakeout.org) plays over the facilities’ loud speakers. Employees out in the field or those in cars will be asked to act appropriately too.

After the drill the city will launch a full scale, 4-hours long disaster exercise, where employees of the city will be participating together with the Beverly Hills School District.