ShakeOut Past, Present, and Future...

The Great California ShakeOut began in 2008, as the Great Southern California ShakeOut, an effort to educate the public about emergency management during a large earthquake. It was the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history at the time with a total of 5.4 million participants spanning eight counties in the southern part of the state.

Dr. Lucy Jones: Origin of the ShakeOut?

In 2009, the ShakeOut expanded to include the entire state of California -- all 58 counties, divided into 11 areas. More than 6.9 million Californians participated, practicing Drop, Cover, and Hold On and other aspects of family, school, and organizational emergency plans. The 2010 ShakeOut will be on October 21st.

In 2010, Nevada will be joining California with a drill on the same day (October 21).

The first Great British Columbia ShakeOut is being planned for January 26, 2011, and will be the largest earthquake drill to ever take place in Canada.

The ShakeOut drill is also spreading to other states and countries. In 2009, New Zealand's Great West Coast ShakeOut was the first test of the concept in another area. The British Columbia ShakeOut is the next non-California drill, and Oregon will join the BC ShakeOut with a drill on January 26, 2011 as well. In April, 2011, the Central United States will launch its Great Central US ShakeOut. And in 2012 Utah and possibly New Zealand (nationwide) will launch ShakeOut drills.

This schedule/map shows how the ShakeOut is spreading in North America: