Reno Reporter

The University of Nevada, Reno recently held an earthquake drill in an effort to raise awareness among the public.

According to a news release issued by the university, the Great Nevada ShakeOut public earthquake drill was held on Oct. 20 in effort to refine the "drop, cover and hold-on" reaction.

“We all need to be earthquake aware, and need to practice drop, cover and hold-on,” Graham Kent, director of the university’s Nevada Seismological Lab, said in the release. “Nevadans need to realize we live in earthquake country. Nevada has the third highest incidence of large earthquakes in the United States. A major earthquake in any community, north or south, is possible.”

The Walker Lane which goes over the California and Nevada border, along the Basin and Range are tectonically active regions that can produce earthquakes.

The event advises, in the event of an earthquake, for people to drop to their knees and hold onto a sturdy object such as a table while using the other hand to protect their head area. If there isn’t a solid object around, the event advised people to move closer to an interior wall while utilizing both arms to protect that head area.

According to Kent: “We can’t prevent an earthquake, so we have to be resilient, to be prepared so we can perhaps lessen the impacts on lives and economic destruction that a major earthquake can cause. The beauty of this exercise is that it’s really easy. It’s an easy way for people to practice how to protect themselves during earthquakes. It’s an action that’s proven to help reduce injury and death during an earthquake.”