The university is urging the participation of all students, faculty and staff in the exercise that will simulate the response to a magnitude 7.8 earthquake along the southern San Andreas Fault.
"Students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community all need to know what to do when the ground starts shaking and what to do afterwards," said David Oglesby, an associate professor of geophysics. "The drill will not only better prepare us all for an earthquake, but will also further engage students and others on campus in the science and mitigation of earthquake effects."
The following is the schedule of campus activities for Oct. 21:
- 10:21 a.m.: A campuswide Drop, Cover, Hold On drill (the best course of action during an earthquake), followed by an evacuation of several buildings. A campus warning siren will mark the start of the approximately two-minute-long drill.
- 11 a.m.-1 p.m.: An earthquake information fair in the Coffee Bean plaza. Experts will answer questions raised by the ShakeOut drill. Also featured at the fair are earthquake preparedness tips, displays on historical earthquakes and their effects, demonstrations and educational activities on the science of earthquakes.
Additionally, there will be a demonstration of how earthquake faults operate; a simple seismograph that displays people's jumps and stomps; a laptop-based seismograph network; and displays about the recent 2010 earthquakes around the world.
Special presentation on earthquake preparedness
At 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19, in Room 379 in the Highlander Union Building, Oglesby, Campus Emergency Manager Paul Walker and Earth sciences graduate student Corrie Neighbors will give a joint presentation on "Earthquakes, Preparedness and Emergency Response." The 90-minute presentation and Q&A is open to the campus community and the public.
The Great California ShakeOut is held statewide each year on the third Thursday of October.
UC Riverside is a core member of the Southern California Earthquake Center, which is one of the co-sponsors of ShakeOut.
For general information on the ShakeOut drill throughout California, visit www.shakeout.org. For information on UC Riverside's participation in the drill, visit www.ehs.ucr.edu/emergency/shakeout.
The University of California, Riverside, is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UC Riverside's enrollment of over 19,000 is expected to grow to 21,000 students by 2020. The campus is planning a medical school and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion.