Thousands of Coasters dropped, covered and held on at 10:20 a.m. on Oct. 20 as part of the largest earthquake drill in B.C.
A total of 3,684 people from the Sunshine Coast signed up for this year's Great B.C. Shake Out, which boasted 530,000 participants across the province this year.
On the Coast fourteen schools, all levels of government, volunteer groups and individual families took the time to practice the drop, cover and hold on technique together.
Students at West Sechelt Elementary School quickly scurried under tables and held onto table legs, remembering to cover their heads and count to 60.
Principal Susan Budgell explained the counting out loud to 60 helps ensure students stay under cover until an earthquake and aftershocks stop, and it also helps to keep them calm and connected.
The point of the drill was to get British Columbians into the habit of moving immediately to protect themselves in the event of an earthquake.
"Earthquakes occur without any warning and may be so violent that you cannot run or crawl; you will most likely be knocked to the ground wherever you happen to be. You will never know if the initial jolt will turn out to be the start of the big one. You should drop, cover and hold on immediately," the Great B.C. Shake Out website states.
The technique replaces an old idea that standing in a doorway will keep you safe in an earthquake.
"An early earthquake image from California showed a collapsed adobe home with the door frame as the only standing part. From this came our belief that a doorway is the safest place to be during an earthquake. In modern houses and buildings doorways are no safer, and they do not protect you from flying or falling objects. Get under a table instead," the website notes.
The website also cautions people not to believe the "triangle of life" theory that says empty triangles are made when a building collapses.
"In recent years, an e-mail has circulated which has recommended potentially life threatening actions and the source has been discredited by leading experts."
To find out more go to www.shakeoutbc.ca.
