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Drop – Cover - Hold

Wednesday 30 May 2012, 3:01PM

By Waitaki District Council

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ShakeOut campaign
ShakeOut campaign Credit: Waitaki District Council

At 9:26am on Wednesday 26 September the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management  aim to have one million participants in New Zealand taking part in ‘ShakeOut’, which is the first national earthquake drill of its type to be held nationwide in any country.

Council’s Emergency Services Manager, Chris Raine, said the purpose of the drill is to ensure that everybody in New Zealand knows what to do in the event of an earthquake.

“‘Drop – Cover – Hold’ is widely regarded as the best way to protect yourself during an earthquake and this is the practice that Civil Defence want engrained in the minds of all New Zealanders. It is impossible to know where you may be when an earthquake strikes, which is why ‘ShakeOut’ is taking place on a Wednesday morning.”

Civil Defence will be promoting this initiative on a nationwide and local level and Mr Raine urges people living in the Waitaki District to take part by registering on the Exercise Shakeout website.

“The exercise only takes one minute, so personal involvement is minimal but it will make people think about where to shelter if a large earthquake were to occur”.

He said there would be awards for the Civil Defence Emergency Management group with the highest per capita participation in their region.

“So spread the word. Encourage as many businesses, organisations, schools and community groups in your region to register their participation in New Zealand ShakeOut!”

So far across the country, there are 66,000 participants registered. Anyone wanting more information can go to www.getthru.govt.nz.