Still time for Northlanders to register to ShakeOut

More than 25,000 Northlanders are already registered to ‘drop, cover, hold’ on 15 October as part of ShakeOut, the world’s largest earthquake drill.

They’ll be among an estimated one million New Zealanders (and more than 23 million people internationally) taking part in ShakeOut at 9.15am on Thursday 15 October.

Eighty-six Northland schools from Te Hapua to Pouto will be among a raft of different groups, organisations and individuals simultaneously getting under desks and tables for protection to practise their ‘drop, cover, hold’ drill.

Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group member and regional councillor Paul Dimery says ShakeOut provides a great opportunity for Northlanders to boost their knowledge of what to do to keep safe in an earthquake and other emergencies.

“It’s an excellent time to make sure we’re prepared, not just for earthquakes (which are less of a risk in our region) but also for the more common Civil Defence events we face in Northland including flooding, cyclones and tsunami alerts.”

“We’d love even more Northlanders to get involved in ShakeOut by registering to participate at www.ShakeOut.govt.nz

“Preparation is the key to keeping ourselves safe during a Civil Defence emergency,” Cr Dimery, a former high-ranking Northland policeman says.

Meanwhile, Northlanders are being encouraged to post photos of their ShakeOut drill in a local competition at Northland’s Civil Defence Facebook page www.facebook.com/civildefencenorthland

“We’d love to build a resource with photos of Northlanders, by Northlanders – telling our own stories,” Cr Dimery says.