ShakeOut Day is April 21, 2016

News Release — ShakeOut day will not disappoint for preparedness storytelling on April 21

State of Utah

GARY R. HERBERT
Governor

SPENCER J. COX
Lieutenant Governor

Department of Public Safety
Division of Emergency Management

KEITH D. SQUIRES
Commissioner
KRIS J. HAMLET
Director

NEWS RELEASE

ShakeOut Day is April 21, Lots to Cover

More than 960,000 are currently signed up to participate, making us on track for the largest participation ever. Events scheduled in Salt Lake, Carbon, Utah and Davis counties.

Contact:
Joe Dougherty, PIO
Utah Division of Emergency Management
jdougherty@utah.gov
801-538-3738

SALT LAKE CITY — The Great Utah ShakeOut is back!

The official time for the annual earthquake drill on April 21 is 10:15 a.m. It’s not too late for the public, businesses, schools, churches or government agencies to sign up at ShakeOut.org/utah.

Already, more than 933,000 have signed up, putting Utah well on its way to reaching our goal of 1 million participants. Remember, preparedness saves time, money, effort, and most importantly, lives. We practice what to do so we respond appropriately.

Each year, the Division of Emergency Management provides a list of venues to help the news media keep coverage fresh. This year is no different. Enjoy the great drills going on this year!

Various social media channels can be used to share the ShakeOut.

  • Twitter: Follow @UtahShakeOut and @BeReadyUtah
  • Hashtags on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest: #ShakeOut
  • Facebook.com/UtahShakeOut
  • Periscope: Follow UtahShakeOut and Be Ready Utah for a live look at the drill at the Capitol.

Preparedness videos on YouTube

  • Utah: Preparedness Now
  • Be Ready Utah — Make a Kit

Members of the news media and their stations or offices should also assess their organization’s preparedness. You can help the public by playing a broadcast of the ShakeOut drill, which you can download, along with transcripts here: http://www.shakeout.org/utah/drill/broadcast/

Story ideas

  • What are schools doing to prioritize buildings that need seismic upgrades?
  • What preparedness apps are available for smartphone users?
  • Conduct a home-hazard hunt. Interview a homeowner who wants to be more prepared.
  • What are good preparedness steps for businesses?
  • How to communicate in a disaster – Text first, talk second

Graphical downloads, including web banners and Facebook cover images available here:http://www.shakeout.org/utah/resources/banners.html

Great Utah ShakeOut public drills

Thursday, April 21

State Capitol Campus:

Where: 350 N. Main Street, Utah State Capitol
When: 10:10-10:45 a.m.
What: The Capitol campus will drop, cover and hold on as fire alarms are pulled. State employees will then evacuate and practice reuniting at evacuation points. Come see a drop, cover and hold on drill in action as employees in the Division of Emergency Management hit the ground at 10:15 a.m. Starting shortly after 10:30, Utah DEM and the state emergency response team will participate in a variety of exercises, discussing state agency response to disasters the rest of the day.
Contact: Joe Dougherty, 801-664-1530, jdougherty@utah.gov

University of Utah:

Website here: http://emergencymanagement.utah.edu/shakeout/schedule
What: 2016 Shakeout U of U Campus Drop, Cover, Hold On Drill
Where: The University of Utah – President’s Circle.
When: 10:15a.m. – 10:18 a.m.

Provo City:

What: City Center Evacuation at 10:15 and EOC Set-up in Classroom B at Rec center from 8:00-13:00
Where: City Center and Classroom B at Rec center.
Contact: Chris Blinzinger

Visuals:  Evacuation of City Center and Set-up and testing of EOC communications.Centerville City:

Venue name: Centerville City
Location: 250 North Main, Centerville
Dates: April 21 and April 23
Point of Contact:  Paul Child 801-599-2409

Description:

April 21: our city employees will drop, cover and hold on.  After which, we will have a meeting with all city employees talking about earthquakes and how they will affect their families and work environments.  We will also have a quick communications check in with all 4 districts in our city.

Saturday, April 23: Saturday   9:45 – 10:45

We will have a functional exercise including all 4 districts in our City.

The city will be placing 2 hazard markers in each district indicating broken water/sewer lines, downed power lines etc.  The district’s themselves will also set out their own hazard’s and placards.

At 10:00 rapid damage assessors will canvas Centerville and report back to their area IC.  The area’s in turn will report to their district IC’s and the districts will then filter information they feel they cannot handle  or that the city needs to be aware to handle and report it to the City EOC.

In total we should have 4 ICP and the city EOP functioning and communicating with each other.

Carbon County:

Carbon County will host an open discussion on earthquake response in coordination with the Utah Great Shake Out on Thursday, April 21, 2016 at the Carbon County Events Center
Time: 2:30PM TO 5PM.
Goal: Gain a better understanding of countywide capabilities and gaps. The meeting, for county jurisdiction officials, will help improve the core efforts of preparedness, planning, response, mitigation and recovery.

Mountainstar Healthcare drills at participating hospitals will kick off at 11 am

Primary contact:
Audrey Glasby
Mountainstar Healthcare
801-573-3567

St. Mark’s Hospital (see below), Taylorsville ER (overwhelmed by patients / divert / transport to Jordan Valley Hospital), Lone Peak Hospital, Ogden Regional Medical Center, Mountain View Hospital

Visuals: Mobile hospital at St. Mark’s Hospital

Starting at 11 a.m. and will run for 30 to 45 minutes

USAR Task Force will be rescuing patients from the hospital’s “collapsed west tower.”  A tunnel underneath St. Mark’s Hospital will be used to simulate the collapsed west tower – numerous patients/caregivers trapped – search and rescue. Because this will be a tight space, the hospital will be accepting one pool photographer and one pool reporter to enter the space. The pool reporter and photographer will need to share their info with requesting stations. If your station is interested in this opportunity, be the first to contact Audrey Glasby at 801-573-3567.

Meanwhile, outside the hospital, the following activities will be taking place:

Lowering patients outside the hospital building: Central Tower (by ER lobby doors)

Moulaged (disaster makeup) patients will be transported, as well.

Hazmat team (nuclear medicine equipment compromised)

Central Healthcare: managing supplies and manpower

MountainStar AirCare SST Coalition – Coalition communications trailer

The Utah Hospital Association will also be available to discuss Utah’s new Crisis Standards of Care, the decision-making process for doctors. The spokesperson will be Dr. Mark Shaw from IHC. He was integral in writing the standards of care.

 

Events are also happening at IASIS hospitals
Please contact Jodi DeJong if interested
(801) 647-0477

Salt Lake Regional Medical Center (decontamination process), Jordan Valley West (VA medical tent, fire extinguisher training)

The hospitals’ community partners include the following:

Search and rescue Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (1 team and 1 dog team (including Salt Lake City Fire), South Salt Lake and Unified Fire Authority, Unified Police Dept, Gold Cross Ambulance, Salt Lake, Summit and Toole County Coalition, Northern Healthcare Coalition, Central Healthcare Coalition, Salt Lake Valley Health Department.

 

Looking for other locations? 

Here’s the entire participant list

Note: The Great Utah ShakeOut, now with 960,000 registered participants, is happening April 21, 2016, at 10:15 a.m. Online at ShakeOut.org/utah

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The Division of Emergency Management (DEM) is the lead State agency for emergency preparedness, disaster response, recovery and mitigation for the State of Utah. Our mission is to support local, state and tribal governments in their emergency management duties. Online at DEM.Utah.gov and BeReadyUtah.gov

View this document online
Utah Department of Public Safety
Utah Emergency Management

New Report Forecasts the High Likelihood of Damaging Earthquakes During the Lifetime of Many Utah Residents

A Press Release from the authors of a comprehensive study of earthquake probabilities for the Wasatch Front Region in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming.

Salt Lake City (April 18, 2016) In the first comprehensive study of its kind for Utah, Earthquake Probabilities for the Wasatch Front Region in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming forecasts the chances for damaging earthquakes in the Wasatch Front region. In the next 50 years there is a 43 percent chance, or nearly 1-out-of-2 odds, of at least one large earthquake of magnitude 6.75 or greater. For a moderate quake of magnitude 5 or greater the probability is 93 percent, or greater than 9-out-of-10 odds.

“Considering that the average age of Utah’s citizens is the youngest in the nation at about 29 years, there is a realistic chance that many current residents will experience a large earthquake in their lifetime,” says Ivan Wong, Principal Seismologist at Lettis Consultants International and lead author of the report.

The soon-to-be-released report is a collaboration of 14 scientists from academia, federal and state agencies, and private industry. The results underscore the importance of being prepared for damaging earthquakes in Utah.

See the PDF link below for the full press release regarding the report.

Full Press Release