For the past six years, the city of Culver City has conducted a citywide Disaster Drill on Dec. 7 at 7 in the evening. Effective this year, the city will conduct its drill on the same day as millions participate in California’s Great ShakeOut.
Held on the third Thursday of October, and this year it falls on Oct. 21. The Great California ShakeOut is the largest preparedness event in U.S. history. It encourages and reminds everyone that as Californians who live in a place where earthquakes are an inevitable part of life, everyone must prepare and learn to act quickly to ensure that a disaster such as an earthquake does not become a catastrophe.
On Oct. 21, you will have two opportunities to practice preparedness. You can participate in the California Great ShakeOut with 6.9 million other Californians by stopping what you are doing at 10:21 a.m., practicing Drop, Cover and Hold On and/or participate in Culver City’s ShakeOut at 7 p.m. by doing the same. However, the city is asking residents to utilize our Culver City’s “OK” sign program to let first-responders know that you are okay. First-responders will be canvassing neighborhoods at 7 o’clock, counting OK signs as they practice their emergency preparedness plans.
For those who have never participated in the citywide drill with the OK sign program, all just place a sign in your window or on your door in a visible location from the public right-of-way. In the event of a real disaster, if your family was not okay, you would post nothing and contact 9-1-1.
www.culvercity.org/emergencyprep. www.ShakeOut.org.