‘Great Shakeout’ drill went well at Utah State, coordinator says
April 27th, 2012 Posted in OpinionStory and photo by Shannon McCleve
LOGAN — No one really thinks it will happen to them, but are you prepared if we have a major earthquake in Logan? In a statewide drill to help people prepare for what they would do in case of a major earthquake, Utah’s Great Shakeout took place April 17 at 10:15 a.m.
Judy Crockett, emergency management coordinator for Utah State University, said it was really important to be prepared for an emergency like this. She said it could happen in Utah and we need to know what to do in case it does. “We wanted to encourage people to drop, cover and hold,” she said.
“Drop, cover and hold” is the slogan for the Utah Seismic Safety Commission for earthquakes and drills, she said.
Many departments and classes participated in the drill, she said. It wasn’t mandatory, she said, but there were still a lot of people taking part.
“I was really please with the participation,” Crockett said. “I would really like to see it mandatory though, so that everyone can be prepared.”
After the drill, she and members of CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) met at the Spectrum’s Champ Room to do a treatment area walk-through.
“They got it organized like you wouldn’t believe,” she said. “ I think the northern part of Utah is in great shape. We’ve got to be able to take care our ourselves.”
Will Lusk of the Logan City Fire Department was there as well to help oversee the organization and help with any questions.
“It’s really important for us to work with the other organizations and response teams in the valley,” Crockett said.
She said this was the first state-wide emergency drill and she hopes to see this continue. They were provided with booklets to help with what to do in an earthquake. The handbook is called Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country and can be read online.
“I would like to see it done every year but if it’s at least every other year, that would be wonderful,” she said.
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Tags: earthquake drill, Judy Crockett, Utah's Great Shakeout
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