At 10:16 am on October 16, millions of people worldwide took part in a coordinated exercise designed to raise awareness and readiness for earthquake response. This year, 859,089 participants across British Columbia registered for the 2025 Great BC ShakeOut, with 16,132 from the Thompson Okanagan region, including City of Kamloops staff. Acting Protective Services Director Alisha Beday even paused a meeting to “drop, cover, and hold on” with her management team to highlight the need for emergency preparedness in our community.

“While Kamloops is not at high risk of earthquakes, our province experiences a lot of seismic activity, and big quakes have the potential to reach us,” noted Ty Helgason, the City's Emergency Preparedness Manager. “Overall, we want to encourage a culture of preparedness in our city as our climate becomes more unpredictable and natural disasters grow increasingly common. Annual events like the Great BC ShakeOut are simple reminders of what to do when the unexpected happens, because preparedness saves lives.”

The City encourages Kamloops residents to take some time each year to plan for a wide range of emergency situations. Learn more at Kamloops.ca/EmergencyPreparedness.

By taking just a few moments each year to practice drop, cover, and hold on, individuals, families, and organizations can strengthen their ability to respond quickly and safely in the event of a real earthquake. For more information about the Great BC ShakeOut and how to get involved, visit www.shakeoutbc.ca.