Our California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) members who are emergency management experts once again invite you to join million of people who will Drop, Cover, and Hold On October 17th at 10:17 a.m. in the 2013 Great California ShakeOut!

Last year more than 9.4 million Californians participated in ShakeOut drills across the state. Participating is a great way for you, your family and/or co-workers to be prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes.

Emergency preparedness, management and response experts at the California Office of Emergency Services (OES) will “drop, cover and hold on” and they hope you will to.  There are steps you can take now to be an earthquake survivor should you find yourself on ground that suddenly and violently shakes.  

“The more you know, the more you are prepared, the more you practice, the more you can help yourself, your family, and those around you when disaster strikes,” said CSLEA President Alan Barcelona. “Our members live and breathe public safety and our emergency management pros at OES do a great job of educating Californians about emergency situations that can arise where you live, work and play.  Being prepared is key.”

The Great ShakeOut happens worldwide on the third Thursday of October.  This year’s ShakeOut falls on the 24th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake.   The Loma Prieta quake struck  at 5:04 p.m.  causing major damage to the Bay Area and Santa Cruz region.  The 6.9 magnitude quake  lasted approximately  15 seconds, killed more than 60 people, injured more than 3700 and left thousands of people homeless.