SALT LAKE CITY — Thursday morning, more than 900,000 Utahns practiced "drop, cover and hold on," protocols as they participated in an annual earthquake drill.
While most people participated in the drill at 10:15 on Thursday morning, officials encourage Utahns to practice earthquake safety any day of the year.
"The Great Utah ShakeOut" shows the importance of earthquake preparation as more than 85% of Utahns live in the Wasatch Fault Zone.
The danger zone is 240 miles long and is considered one of the longest and most active faults in the world.
At Columbia Elementary in West Jordan, Principal Keith Klein says teachers and students are ready for an emergency thanks to the drill.
"What we’ll do is play over the intercom some noise that’s consistent with what a student might hear during an earthquake," Klein explained.
Then, a teacher will command students to drop, cover and hold on. Three steps that could potentially save lives if an earthquake hits.
"It’s important that they know how to conduct a drill in the absence of an adult because we never know where, when and how those things are going to happen," Klein reflected.
Knowledge and practice are the main goals of "The Great Utah Shakeout," which the state adopted in 2012.
"If we look at the probabilities of a major earthquake, here along the Wasatch, we have about a 50%," explained Geologic Hazards Program Manager Steve Bowman. "One in two coin toss of a magnitude 6.5 or greater earthquake in...less than 50 years."
While Bowman said earthquakes can't be predicted, there is technology that can detect them minutes before they happen.
States such as California already have an "Earthquake Early Warning System" and experts have been working in recent years to bring the technology to Utah.
"It just requires some additional funding to modify our existing earthquake sensor network," Bowman said.
Efforts to request additional funding, equaling about five million dollars, during this year's legislative session were unsuccessful.
For now, Utahns will host the annual drill so that when an earthquake hits, everyone will be ready.
If you're new to the state or have never participated in an earthquake drill, you can start today. Click here for a handbook to learn more.
Additionally, the second edition of Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country is available as a print copy for free at the Natural Resources Map & Bookstore, 1594 West North Temple, Salt Lake City.
