The Great Berkeley ShakeOut & Preparedness Block Party

Join Us for The Great Berkeley ShakeOut & Preparedness Block Party on 10/17/24

October 9, 2024

We are excited to announce our collaboration with the City of Berkeley (Emergency Services and Public Health) and the Earthquake Country Alliance to bring to our campus The Great Berkeley ShakeOut earthquake drill on Thursday, October 17 at 10:17 AM and the Preparedness Block Party from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Event-specific details are below.

The planning team has lined up a fun, festive, and informative day of activities including varying ways for you to participate. We invite you to get involved by taking actionable steps to bolster your personal preparedness for earthquakes and other emergencies that can impact our campus and region.

Background and Call to Action - Drop, Cover, and Hold On Drill at 10:17 AM

UC Berkeley’s proximity to two active faults (each due for large seismic activity) means it’s important for us to be ready for shaking at any moment. Each year millions of people participate in The Great ShakeOut, practicing what to do when you hear an earthquake early warning alert or feel shaking: Drop, Cover, and Hold On. This year, UC Berkeley and our partners will host a drill powered by MyShake, the earthquake early warning app created and managed here at the UC Berkeley Seismology Lab. We encourage everyone, everywhere on campus to participate when you get the test alert. Remember, what you do in practice, you do in the game.

To participate:

  1. Download the MyShake app for Android or iOS

  2. At 10:17 AM you will hear the MyShake test alert: “Earthquake! Drop, cover, hold on. Shaking expected”

  3. Practice taking action to protect yourself when real shaking happens

Learn more about what to do to prepare for and be safe during an earthquake.

Preparedness Block Party - 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM

In conjunction with The Great Berkeley ShakeOut, we will be holding a Preparedness Block Party outside McCone Hall featuring:

  • lifelike simulator of a 7.0 earthquake

  • Campus and community partners sharing actionable steps you can take to be prepared for the next big earthquake 

  • Raffle prizes that will kickstart your emergency kit

  • talent showcase, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, open to individuals, groups, and student organizations. We want to allow everyone to show off what you've worked so hard on. We are seeking dancers, martial artists, singers, poets, or anyone else that has something they'd like to show off.