The Great ShakeOut is an earthquake drill that began in Southern California in 2008 and was organized by the Earthquake Country Alliance. The drill has spread internationally and occurs every year on the third Thursday of October. This year, Rancho Cucamonga High School participated in the 2025 event on Oct. 16 at 10:16 a.m. local time. According to shakeout.org, in 2024, there were 1,382,576 participants in the Inland Southern California region and 10,674,276 participants in total who took part in The Great ShakeOut.
The ShakeOut helps millions of people worldwide make sure they are prepared and know how to protect themselves during an earthquake. Large earthquakes can cause sudden, harsh motions of several feet per second back and forth.
“Most people just want to run outside during an earthquake, but debris from buildings like falling stucco is a common hazard outside,” RCHS English teacher Mr. Gary Favero said. “Objects inside the classroom might fall as well, but it’s ultimately safer than outside.”
If an earthquake strikes while you’re indoors, it’s crucial to know the term “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.” Drop to your hands and knees, cover your head and neck with one arm, and hold onto something with the other arm until the shaking stops.
California faces more earthquake danger than most of the U.S., with about two thirds of the country’s total earthquake risk located there. Every day is earthquake season in California with over 15,000 known faults criss-crossing the state, the San Andres fault being the largest in the country at 800 miles long. Many major earthquakes in California occur on fault lines unknown at that time.
“Our fault is overdue for a large earthquake,” earth and space science teacher Ms. Candice Newman said. “An 8.0 magnitude earthquake is expected with shaking that can last for over a minute.”
Earthquake preparation is critical for all students and staff at RCHS to know, so that if an earthquake strikes during school, everybody knows how to keep themselves safe. For more information about California earthquake preparedness, visit earthquakeauthority.com.
