The North Olympic Library System will join more than 20 million people worldwide to participate in a “Great ShakeOut” earthquake drill at NOLS branch libraries in Sequim, Port Angeles, Forks and Clallam Bay at 10:20 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 20.

This is an opportunity for community members to join their local library staff in practicing and implementing the central tenets of earthquake preparedness: “Drop, cover and hold on.”

Staff at each library location will lead the drills by making an announcement and instructing patrons and staff to “drop” to the ground, take “cover” under a desk or sturdy table and “hold on” for the remainder of the 90-second drill.

Originating in California in 2008, the annual drill is now a globe-spanning event with most participants performing the drill on the same day, at the same time.

Additional information about disaster preparedness in Clallam and Jefferson counties also will be available for participants to take home.

Sequim School District plans

The Sequim School District will participate in a statewide earthquake drill on Thursday, Oct. 20. The Great ShakeOut is a part of a state-wide emergency preparedness effort to encourage people to make preparatory plans and take actions to ensure that disasters do not become catastrophes. The ShakeOut drill is scheduled to begin at 10:20 a.m.

According to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, schools are required to have no less than one safety-related drill each month. Over the course of the school year, schools must conduct three fire evacuation drills, three lockdown drills, one shelter-in-place drill, one drill using the school mapping system (i.e. Rapid Responder) and one high-risk event drill determined by the school (i.e. earthquake). More information is available on the OSPI website at http://www.k12.wa.us/safetycenter/Drills/default.aspx.

Districts, schools and communities across Washington prepare for many types of threats, hazards and disasters. For this exercise, the schools will practice a Drop, Cover and Hold On drill and building evacuation. This standard drill and evacuation uses simple steps to inform all teachers and students how to perform Drop, Cover and Hold On — a quake-safe action designed to protect lives and prevent injuries from falling furniture and flying objects that can become projectiles during ground shaking. Teachers and students will then evacuate the building according to the school disaster plan, as required for a quarterly or semi-annual earthquake safety drill.

The drill procedure is designed to engage students, teachers, staff and administration to think through their emergency response actions during the drill, then afterwards to review and discuss risk reduction and response measures in order to make changes for the next earthquake or drill.

For more information about the Great ShakeOut event, see www.shakeout.org/.