The 2020 Utah ShakeOut Day was on April 16, though you can register to hold your ShakeOut drill on any day of the year. Due to COVID-19, you may also consider holding a remote, videoconference drill, and/or scheduling a drill for when people may be back together. Participating is a great way for your family or organization to be prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes – wherever you live, work, or travel.

This year, Utahns got a firsthand feel for an earthquake on March 18th when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit near the town of Magna in northwestern Utah. The earthquake caused chaos along a wide stretch of the Wasatch front’s west side, and it could be felt as far east as Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City International Airport closed and officials undertook the daunting task of determining if roadways and bridges were safe. Several buildings were damaged as well.

There have been over 1,247 aftershocks from the March 18 earthquake, according to the University of Utah Seismograph Stations. Several have had a magnitude of at least 4.0, and a great irony occurred on April 16th when the Magna area felt a 4.2 aftershock at 7:44 a.m., just 2.5 hours before Utah’s ShakeOut Drill was scheduled. More aftershocks are expected in the coming weeks and should become less frequent, officials said.

Find more information at https://www.shakeout.org/utah, where you can learn more about planning a drill, preparing a “grab-and-go kit” and survive the big one if and when it comes.