Be ready to drop, cover and hold on when UC Davis tests its WarnMe emergency communications system as a participant in the Great California ShakeOut Thursday, Oct. 17.

At 10:17 a.m., millions of people across California will practice earthquake safety, and millions more around the world will participate in the drill at 10:17 a.m. their local time on what is International Shakeout Day. The Sacramento campus plans to send its WarnMe test message at the same time.   

The optional drill highlights “drop, cover and hold on.” Federal, state and local emergency management experts — including those at UC Davis — agree it is the appropriate action to take in an earthquake. The ShakeOut website provides guidance about the drill, including modifications for people who use canes, walkers or wheelchairs.

“This is a good opportunity for all of us to practice this simple safety measure — especially since California is prone to earthquakes,” said Benton Best, campus emergency manager. 

Best has asked members of the Academic Senate and Academic Federation to encourage students to participate in the drill. If a class is engaged in a test, presentation or experiment that would be disrupted, he suggested instructors may want to notify students at the beginning of the class that the group would not be participating.

UC Davis tests its emergency notification system three times during the academic year, usually at noon on a Wednesday. Best said the test date and time were changed to participate in the ShakeOut and promote earthquake safety. 

UC Davis will send alerts by text message and email to faculty, staff and students, all of whom are automatically registered to receive alerts through their UC Davis email. They will encourage recipients to practice the drill to drop, cover, and hold on for a few seconds. There will be no follow-up message.

This is the first test since the campus began automatically importing mobile phone numbers from students’ official university records into the emergency notification system. WarnMe also will send text messages to students as well as to employees who have added mobile numbers to their WarnMe contact information. 

Messages will be posted to the Everbridge Mobile App and UC Davis’ official X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts.

Resources for earthquake safety

Best said he encourages members of the UC Davis community to download and use the MyShake app, developed at UC Berkeley. It uses data from the motion sensors on smartphones to determine if the motion fits the model of an earthquake and sends early warning messages to users in California, Oregon and Washington. 

The Earthquake Country Alliance, whose members help organize the state Shakeout, recommend seven steps for earthquake safety including things to do before, during and after an earthquake. Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety for College Students is a version tailored to students.

More about WarnMe

WarnMe messages provide information and directions regarding emergencies that pose an immediate threat to life and safety. Aggie Alert messages, sent using the same system and contact information, provide notification about events on and around Davis campus facilities that may cause disruption to normal activities.

Emergency officials encourage employees and students to add personal email addresses and mobile numbers — up to a total of five for each contact method and keep them up to date. Also, you can choose to receive messages for additional groups; for example, a faculty member might choose to receive messages sent to students.

Verify and update your contact information on the WarnMe website. Students should also review and update contact information in their university records.

Parents, vendors and others without a UC Davis email address can sign up to receive WarnMe and Aggie Alert messages — when issued by text — for the Davis campus by texting UCDAlerts to 888777. Those who have will also be sent test messages.

Everbridge Mobile App

Available to those with a UC Davis email address (except accounts associated with UC Davis Health), the Everbridge Mobile App can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play and set up to receive UC Davis messages. The mobile app is an important option for those whose mobile number is international because UC Davis WarnMe and Aggie Alert do not send text messages to international numbers.