Prepare for the Great California ShakeOut

To: UCSC Community

From: UCSC Office of Emergency Management

Tomorrow, UC Santa Cruz will join 182 other California colleges and universities participating in the Great California ShakeOut. International ShakeOut Day is an annual event that teaches earthquake preparedness and response activities for everyone.  

At UC Santa Cruz, we will send out a test CruzAlert message around 10:17 a.m. on Thursday, October 17. CruzAlert is our campus mass notification system that provides emergency alerts when there is an imminent threat to the health or safety of our campus community. We encourage all members of our campus community to make sure your CruzAlert information is updated.  

You may receive the test as a text message, phone call, and/or e-mail. The message will read as follows:

TEST CruzAlert | Great ShakeOut: This is a test. An earthquake has just begun. Practice duck, cover, and hold on! Check your email for more information and resources. Thank you for participating.

What Should I Do During an Earthquake?
  • Drop under the nearest sturdy object.
  • Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand.
  • Hold On until the shaking stops.
Steps you should take may depend on your unique circumstances when an earthquake hits (driving a car, using a wheelchair, etc). Learn more about how to protect yourself in specific situations.

How Can I Prepare for an Earthquake?
  1. Update Your CruzID Profile - CruzAlert relies on information provided in the ‘Campus Notifications’ section of your CruzID Profile to make sure alerts are sent to your phone and email address.  
  2. Download the MyShake Phone Application - MyShake is an Early Earthquake Warning service developed in partnership with UC Berkeley. It may provide you crucial seconds of advance notice to prepare for an earthquake.  
  3. Review Earthquake Emergency Procedures - The Office of Emergency Management maintains a webpage on earthquake procedures and preparedness.
  4. Practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On - When you receive our test CruzAlert around 10:17 a.m. on October 17, practice the Drop, Cover, and Hold On steps. We invite instructors who may be facilitating classes at this time to give space for this brief interruption.  
  5. Sign up for Emergency Preparedness Training - The Office of Emergency Management is starting monthly remote Emergency Preparedness training that is available to all students, staff, and faculty. We invite you to sign up!
Want to learn more about earthquake preparedness? Check out our Campus Great ShakeOut webpage for more information. If you have any questions, we invite you to reach out to us at oem@ucsc.edu.