The Great ShakeOut

The earth didn’t move on October 19, 2023. Still, millions of people worldwide practiced an earthquake safety drill as part of the Great ShakeOut. In Oregon, it is estimated that more than 600,000 people practiced the “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” drill.

In our first-ever, countywide exercise, sponsored by Tillamook County Citizens Corps Council (TC4), EVCNB worked in partnership and collaboration for planning, preparation, pre-drills, activation and some evacuation on the day of the exercise. 

Great ShakeOut participants from Tillamook County included emergency responders, healthcare providers, schools, Civil Air Patrol, media outlets, and volunteers and non-volunteers from EVCNB, Nehalem Bay Health Center & Pharmacy, Oceanside schools, Tillamook Police, Tillamook County Community Health, Adventist Health Tillamook. Neighborhood groups from Bay City, Cape Meares, Rockaway Beach, Nedonna, Oceanside and South County also participated in the day’s activities.

There was overwhelming success in the collaboration and cooperation of so many entities coming together for a common purpose. Randy Thorpe, Tillamook County Emergency Manager expressed deep appreciation to everyone who participated. This year’s Great ShakeOut exercise gave us a base of knowledge and experience that we can use to ensure our communities and county are in a ready state for small and large natural disaster events. 

Tillamook County counted 455 participants at assembly area locations. 38% of participants arrived with GoBags or other emergency supplies and 62% arrived without supplies. All participants indicated they heard about the ShakeOut through multiple social media, emails and website information, most of which was coordinated and implemented by EVCNB.

The coordinating teams identified many positive takeaways and also noted some areas that need to be improved. County and local groups are prioritizing topics and work has started to improve both community preparedness and emergency response. One of the top priorities to work on before next year’s drill will be a countywide communications plan.

The main goal of every ShakeOut is to get individuals and organizations prepared for a major earthquake with Tsunami and to use the ShakeOut drill as an opportunity to learn what to do before, during and after an earthquake. Experts and rescuers recommend the “Drop to the ground on hands and knees, take Cover by getting under a sturdy table or desk and Hold On to it until the shaking stops. This safety posture gives the best overall chance of protection from flying objects during a quake.

This year’s Great ShakeOut drill in the North Coast communities emphasized practicing  “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” and using the evacuation route to neighborhood gathering sites. KQMI radio gave a play-by-play earthquake broadcast and Yellow Radio users practiced network communication. People in participating neighborhood clusters were told to grab their GoBag and Yellow Radio and head to their pre-determined gathering site. 

Overall the Great ShakeOut drill raised awareness and participation in disaster planning. There are over 1000 earthquakes in Washington and Oregon each year, with at least two dozen being large enough to be felt. Thus, the Pacific coast poses a special risk of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and associated tsunamis.

Thanks to the increased awareness and participation in disaster planning, more individuals in our communities now know what to expect, how to plan for it, where to go and how to get there.