ShakeOut at Home: A Family Earthquake Drill for October

A Drill, Not a Prediction

International ShakeOut Day is Thursday, October 15, 2026. ShakeOut.org says official regions take part that day unless a region lists another date, and that a household can register a drill for any day of the year. The Oregon Department of Emergency Management sets the Great Oregon ShakeOut for 10:15 a.m. local time that Thursday, wherever you happen to be. This is not a forecast. It is the short practice those pages describe: protect yourself where you are, then look at the room you live in.

You do not need to live on a mapped fault to use the drill. Bookcases, televisions, and glass are what fall in an ordinary house.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On

Ready.gov's earthquake page and the ShakeOut Drop, Cover, and Hold On page agree on the action. If you feel shaking, or you get an earthquake alert, do it right away. Do not wait to see whether the shaking will be strong.

Drop where you are, onto your hands and knees. That position keeps you from being knocked down.

Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand. If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl under it. If nothing sturdy is close, crawl next to an interior wall, away from windows. Stay on your knees and bend forward.

Hold on until the shaking stops. Under a table, hold it with one hand and be ready to move with it if it slides. With no table, keep both arms over your head and neck.

A few places need a small change, and both pages spell them out. In bed, stay there, turn face down, and cover your head and neck with a pillow. In a car, pull over, stop, set the parking brake, and stay inside. Outside, stay outside. Move to an open area away from buildings, trees, streetlights, and power lines, then drop and cover.

If someone uses a cane, they can drop and cover, or sit and cover the head and neck with both hands, and keep the cane nearby. If someone uses a walker or wheelchair, lock the wheels if the chair has them, get as low as is safe, cover the head and neck with the arms or a pillow, and hold on.

Do not stand in a doorway. In a modern house a doorway is no safer than the rest of the room, and it does not stop a falling object. Do not run outside. Glass and brick can fall along the wall you are trying to leave. ShakeOut also says not to follow the so-called "triangle of life." The agreed action is Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

Practice it once at home. It takes less time than making lunch. Do the motion from the couch and from a bedroom, so the habit is not tied to one table.

Move What Can Fall on Someone

The Earthquake Country Alliance starts with the contents of the room. The free steps are enough for this weekend. Move heavy objects to the floor or a low shelf. Move anything that can fall on a person away from beds, sofas, and desks. Move heavy or tippy objects away from doors and the paths you would use to get out.

When you can spend a little, strap a water heater to wall studs, fasten top-heavy furniture to studs, and use straps on televisions. Closed hooks for mirrors, museum putty for small objects, and latches on kitchen cabinets are the same kind of job. A flexible gas connector at a water heater or stove is a plumber's job, not a Saturday guess.

The Alliance, citing a UCLA study of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, says 55 percent of the injuries were caused by falling furniture or objects, and 1 percent were caused by building damage. A standard homeowners policy does not cover earthquake damage. Ready.gov says to consider a separate policy. Ask your agent what yours pays. This article will not guess a premium.

Shoes, a Whistle, and Water

Ready.gov's supply list, updated July 1, 2026, is the right kit for this drill: one gallon of water per person per day for several days, several days of food you will eat, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, a whistle, a battery or hand-crank NOAA weather radio, a dust mask, a wrench or pliers, sturdy shoes, and copies of important papers. Keep hard-soled shoes and a flashlight where you can reach them without crossing broken glass. If you are trapped, Ready.gov says to cover your mouth with your shirt and to signal with a whistle, a text, or by banging on a pipe or wall, instead of shouting.

Keep a smaller kit at work and in each car. Ready.gov says a work kit should cover at least 24 hours, including medicine and shoes you can walk in.

After the shaking stops, expect aftershocks and be ready to drop and cover again. If the building is damaged, go outside and move away from it. Do not go back in. Near the ocean or a large lake, walk inland or to higher ground, and avoid the floodwater. Check yourself before you help someone else. Call 911 for a medical emergency.

The Alliance's after-quake steps are specific about gas. Shut off the main valve only if you suspect a leak: broken pipes, the smell or sound of gas, or a meter spinning quickly. Only the gas company can turn it back on, so do not shut it off "just in case." Do not light a candle or a match. If the house wiring is damaged, shut the power off at the main breaker and leave it off until it is repaired. Treat a downed line as live. Stay clear of a brick chimney until someone qualified looks at it, and do not use a fireplace with a damaged chimney.

Text one out-of-area contact, say where you are, and then stay off the phone so emergency calls can get through.

One Spot Outside, Then One Practice

Pick a meeting place far enough from the house that falling brick is not the meeting place, and one out-of-area person who can pass a message. Write both down. Put a copy in the car and in a backpack.

Prep Roadmap's first phase is a fixed checklist called 72-Hour Basics: water, food, a first-aid kit, light, a paper contact plan, document copies, and cash. It is not a custom earthquake score for your address. The supply tracker is where you log food, water, and gear and compare them with a number of days. It does not flag expiration dates. On the website, a free account can log 10 items. A 7-day trial unlocks the full tracker.

The app does not have an earthquake module, and it will not strap your water heater. Family drills include a communication practice, an out-of-area contact drill, and a plan for reuniting with a child. Rally Map is where you pin the outside spot. The medical guide is a reference on the device, not a substitute for 911 or a first-aid class. PrepAI answers on the phone after you download a model.

On the website, the roadmap, news, Bible, gear list, and offline guides are free. The same 7-day trial also unlocks the medical guide, drills, Rally Map, and PrepAI. The iPhone app currently includes every tool.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way." — Psalm 46:1-2

October 15 is one morning. The shoes by the bed, and the bookcase moved off the pillow, stay useful after that. Practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On once. Then move one heavy thing to a lower shelf.