The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is calling for all residents of British Columbia to participate in the 10th annual BC ShakeOut earthquake drill.
The annual earthquake drill hopes to help people at home, school and work practice how to be safe during an earthquake by instilling muscle memory through the rehearsal of the ‘drop, cover, and hold on’ response. This year’s ShakeOut drill is set to take place on October 21, 2021 at 10:21 a.m.
IBC said that as of October 15, over 670,000 British Columbians have signed up for this year’s ShakeOut event. Last year, more than a million BC residents participated in the drill.
The bureau also highlighted the importance of British Columbia participating in the global Great ShakeOut drills, as the province is “at high risk of earthquake damage in relation to the rest of Canada,” IBC said in a release.
"ShakeOut is the world's largest earthquake drill with more than 620,000 British Columbians and over 23.9 million worldwide registered to participate this year,” said BC Earthquake Alliance president Naomi Yamamoto. “The pandemic has taught us to be ready for anything. Now is the time to update our emergency plans and practice Drop, Cover and Hold-On!"
"I encourage all British Columbians to join us for this unique opportunity to practice the ShakeOut drill and have a frank discussion regarding earthquake preparedness with your families,” added IBC Pacific & Western vice president Aaron Sutherland.
