News from Idaho SILC

Promoting independent living for all Idahoans

What’s Shakin’ Idaho?

By Jami Davis

    2020 has brought a lot of change to the world and to Idaho, among them…earthquakes! I have not lived in Idaho my entire life, but I have been here long enough to be considered an Idahoan and I don’t remember doing a lot of safety drills in school besides fire drills. In other parts of the country, we would practice for tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes…you name it, we were preparing for it! Those emergencies were common in the areas I lived, so we practiced until the safety steps were fixed in our heads.
    I know Idaho has earthquakes, but they have always seemed few and far between; years would pass before I would feel the earth shake again. Part of that is because of where I live in the State and simply not always being aware of what is going on around me. Well, 2020 has changed that! On March 31st I was sitting on my couch when my couch began to shake and, not thinking about it, I commanded my dogs to stop doing whatever they were doing to make it happen. I then realized my two dogs were standing in the middle of the room looking as confused as me. It took about 30 seconds of sitting there to realize it was an earthquake and another 20 seconds trying to remember what I was supposed to do. I spent years of my youth practicing and when it came down to it I couldn’t remember because those exercises from long ago had disappeared from my mind This showed me why it is so important to continue to be prepared for the unpredictable. Since that day in March I have felt more earthquakes than I have in the last 20 years.

The Great Idaho ShakeOut
   The main goal of the ShakeOut is to get Idahoans prepared for major earthquakes, so use the ShakeOut as an opportunity to learn what to do before, during, and after an earthquake.  Anyone in Idaho can participate, from a single individual at their home to a major company at the office. Talk to your coworkers, neighbors and friends about the ShakeOut and encourage their participation.
    The ShakeOut Drill is scheduled for 10:15 am (local time) on October 15th. This means that wherever you are at that moment – at home, at work, at school, anywhere – you should Drop, Cover, and Hold On as if there were a major earthquake occurring at that very moment, and to story in this position for at least 60 seconds.
    To register for this event, or get more information, please visit: www.shakeout.org/idaho