Nearly half a million Aucklanders registered on the ShakeOut website and thousands more participated alongside colleagues at work in the national earthquake drill at 9.15am on the morning of October 15.
ShakeOut is an international initiative created to help people and organisations be better prepared for major earthquakes by practising ‘Drop, Cover and Hold’, the right action to take during an earthquake.
Every year New Zealand experiences more than 20,000 earthquakes. Most of them are too small or deep in the earth to be noticed, but more than 100 are big enough to be felt. While Aucklanders generally have a low level of concern about these catastrophic natural disasters, the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 have proven a severe earthquake can occur at any time, and in unexpected locations.
Auckland Council Civil Defence and Emergency Management Director John Dragicevich thanks everyone for their involvement in ShakeOut this year.
“We’re so impressed with the large number of Aucklanders who took part, from individuals and families to schools, shops, businesses and other organisations.
Thank you all for your support in helping New Zealand become the first country in the world to take part in the global drill this year.”
As part of our preparedness for emergencies Auckland Council is updating its Civil Defence and Emergency Management plan – for more information, or to contribute to this plan to go Shape Auckland. To find out about hazards in your local area click here.
More information
- Visit shakeout.govt.nz for more information.
- Check out the You Tube channel with ShakeOut videos, which are being shared on facebook.com/nzgetthru and www.twitter.com/nzgetthru
- Visit getthru.govt.nz for information to help prepare a household emergency plan and survival kit.
- Download the Civil Defence app for iPhone and Android devices.
