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Disaster Dispatch - Fall 2025
Stay Grounded This Fall!
Fall Greetings from the Clackamas County Disaster Management Team. In light of Earthquake Preparedness Month in October, this newsletter will include:
- The Great ShakeOut Annual Earthquake Drill
- Home Hazard Hunt Contest
- COOP (Continuity of Operations Plan) Call Down Exercise
- The history behind Drop, Cover, Hold On
Drop, Cover, and Hold On! Clackamas County Practices Preparedness Together
The Great ShakeOut is an annual event where all community members have an opportunity to practice Drop, Cover, Hold On, as a response to an earthquake event. This annual drill also provides an opportunity for individuals to create and review family emergency plans, look for opportunities to mitigate damage to their homes or workplace areas, and reflect on how they might respond to an earthquake once the ground starts to shake. Here at Clackamas County, staff participated in the ShakeOut on October 16, through a selfie contest, home hazard hunt survey, and a COOP call down exercise. Disaster Management Staff also prepared a presentation to our Board of County Commissioners detailing the importance of the ShakeOut drill, the threat of earthquakes in our region, and the need for all community members to take steps to prepare for emergencies by making a family plan, preparing an emergency kit, and even signing up for emergency alerts.
ShakeOut Selfie Contest
Disaster Management hosted a ShakeOut Selfie contest to encourage participation in the ShakeOut and promote earthquake preparedness. Thirty-four ShakeOut selfies were submitted with options for County staff to vote on which they liked the most. Check out some of our selfies!
ShakeOut Home Hazard Hunt Survey Contest
The Home Hazard Hunt contest is designed for folks to look around their home and identify possible hazards during an earthquake and any methods for mitigating those hazards such as moving heavy objects to lower shelves or securing furniture to prevent movement. Fifty-eight County staff submitted a survey; identifying at least one thing in their home that could be secured and one thing that they can do to better prepare their home for an earthquake. Find more information on securing your space.
In addition to identifying hazards, staff were also asked a bonus question of their favorite music video from our County Earthquake playlist, and Taylor Swift’s, “Shake It Off” took first place followed by the Beatles’ “Twist and Shout.”
Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Call Down Exercise
Disaster Management hosted a COOP Call Down Exercise immediately following the ShakeOut drill to allow County Departments an opportunity to validate their COOP plan and emergency notification procedures. The exercise entailed use of a call down, which is a systematic series of telephone calls, texts, or email messages from one person to another to relay emergency information and/or activate their COOP plan. Practicing this call down provided an opportunity for staff to rehearse their plan and account for staff following a disruptive event. It also allowed us to identify gaps or areas of improvement regarding emergency notifications to fellow staff.
Businesses can learn more about continuity planning.
Why We Practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On
The annual Great ShakeOut is a nationally recognized earthquake safety drill that builds on required school earthquake drills. Drop, Cover, and Hold On is practiced universally for the best all-around approach to take immediate protective measures at the onset of earthquake shaking.
Drop to the floor to lower your center of gravity. Cover as much of your body, especially your head and neck, under or beside strong furniture like a table or desk. Hold on to the furniture or something close by to stabilize yourself during the shaking.
Taking this immediate action helps avoid indoor injuries from falling non-structural elements like bookcases, light fixtures, and suspended ceiling tiles from shaking that can quickly escalate and last for seconds to minutes. Strong shaking can also increase the likelihood of falling injuries if people are trying to move or relocate.
Going outside of a building during an earthquake may seem like an intuitive response, but there are lots of potential falling hazards from buildings like parapets, chimneys, broken windows and building facades, that can be more dangerous than indoor falling hazards.
Even with the advent of the earthquake alert system called ShakeAlert, which is designed to detect and notify populations of impending shaking, there are too many variables between different earthquake sources in the Clackamas County area to safely recommend evacuating a building with 10 seconds of notice - especially a multi-story building like a school. Moving through and then outside of a building at the onset of strong shaking can greatly increase your chances of injury or death.
Instead, if a ShakeAlert announcement occurs, consider it an extra moment to assess your immediate situation and make an informed safety decision. Perhaps move away from a window or outside wall or give yourself some extra space away from a loaded bookshelf. Then, drop, cover, and hold on.
Questions? Suggestions?
Please contact Carolyn Bonoff at cbonoff@clackamas.us.
This exercise series brought together a diverse mix of responders and support agencies—from fire districts and emergency managers to utility companies, law enforcement, and communications teams. Participating organizations included Clackamas Fire, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, National Weather Service, Portland General Electric, Oregon Department of Forestry, and many other critical partners.
