Montana residents are encouraged to know what to do in the event of an earthquake

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Helena – Thursday was International ShakeOut Day, an opportunity to practice earthquake drills in order to be safer and more prepared during an actual seismic event.

Global Training is held every year on the third Thursday of October. The system works by alerting participants through their mobile devices.

Jason Grimes, director of the Carroll School of Campus and Public Security, says there are important reasons to conduct earthquake training at Carroll College.

“The two purposes of doing rehearsal are to get things back to the fore in the minds of the students and the minds of the faculty is to think about safety. Second, you know, if you don’t train and think about what you’re going to do in a given situation, you won’t be prepared when something happens. So, it was twofold. Besides testing our emergency notification system,” Grimes explained.

Montana is one of the most seismically active states in the country, but most seismic activity is concentrated in the mountainous western third of the state. The reason is the Intermountain seismic belt. This belt includes at least 45 potentially active faults in Montana and has been the site of two of the largest historical earthquakes in the Rocky Mountains, the August 18, 1959 Lake Hebgen earthquake, the Montana earthquake (magnitude 7.3) and the October 28, 1983 Bora Summit, Idaho earthquake (magnitude 6.9) ).

Most recently, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Lincoln in 2017. Some base and stock damage occurred during the earthquake. But it doesn’t quite compare to the devastating earthquake that occurred in Helena in 1935 (magnitude 6.2). There were four deaths and 300 destroyed homes recorded between the main and aftershocks of the 1935 Helena earthquake.

Ariana Collins, a student of Carol, is from the East Coast where hurricanes can be a common seasonal problem and emergency preparedness is essential. Collins appreciates Carroll College’s foresight and readiness for a possible earthquake in the future.

“There are a lot of moments in life where you can’t anticipate it, and it’s good to be prepared and be in a community that talks about that as well,” Collins said.

Grimmis wants to remind everyone to have an emergency preparedness kit at home and what to do in the event of an earthquake.

“The first thing you want to do is cover your head and fall to the ground. Don’t lie flat, but try to stay on your knees and hands, with one hand covering your head or neck. And you want to lean forward where you protect your torso and organs,” said Grimes. “Then you want to get Some kind of fixed, stable shelter like an office or something.”

More information about Great ShakeOut and what to do in the event of an earthquake can be found here.

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