Engemann Student Health Center employees take part in the mass casualty exercise that coincided with the Great ShakeOut drill in 2019. (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas)

You know the drill by now: Every October, Californians take a break from the usual weekday business to run through our earthquake preparations. It’s the Great California ShakeOut, and USC has some special events planned.

At 10:15 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, an announcement will occur throughout our facilities letting employees know that the exercise has begun. For the next minute, staff are encouraged to drop, cover and hold on as if they were in the middle of an earthquake. For more information about the Great California ShakeOut, click here.

Immediately following the exercise, the Office of Safety and Emergency Management will offer a special virtual training session on earthquake preparedness. As we continue to work remotely, the emphasis of this training will be on preparing your home and family, and will include topics such as securing your space at home, organizing disaster supplies and documents, and much more. To join the session, click here.

There’s also a USC Earthquake Preparedness During a Pandemic webinar from noon-1 p.m. Check out the flyer, and use this link to register. There’s also a USC News story with further details.

And if you still want to read more, check out this USC News interview with a bona fide earthquake scientist and learn when we might get to the point where someone can reliably predict earthquakes.