Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill on 10/17

The safety of students, staff, and faculty is a key priority of UW Tacoma, and earthquakes are one of our region’s significant safety threats. Our diverse community members may have never experienced an earthquake and have had little to no earthquake preparedness education. You may know what to do but have not practiced how to protect ourselves since we were children. 

On Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 at 10:17 a.m., we will hold an all-campus earthquake drill as part of the Great Washington ShakeOut.

We expect that all students and employees will participate in this year’s drill wherever you may be at drill time.

• 10:17 a.m. — The drill begins with announcements, using UW Alert, via SMS, e-mail, website, TV screens, and indoor and outdoor speakers. Wherever you are, if safe to do so, please practice DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON for 90 seconds.
   
• 10:19 a.m. — The drill continues with an announcement to evacuate campus buildings and move to assembly points. Campus Safety and Facilities team members will be present directing occupants to assembly points. Even if you will not be on campus, take a moment to find your building evacuation plan and assembly point.
   
• 10:30 a.m. — All clear announcement; drill ends.

We have put together several curated resources for instructors, including:

• A “day-of” classroom instructional guide
• Campus evacuation map with assembly points
• Seven steps to prepare, survive, and recover from an earthquake
• Great ShakeOut PowerPoint presentation and poster

Please reach out to uwtsafe@uw.edu with any questions.