Hamilton City Council’s 1100 team members are participating in the nationwide ShakeOut exercise this Thursday.

New Zealand ShakeOut, our national earthquake drill, is on Thursday 17 October at 1.30pm and the Council is encouraging all schools, businesses and households to sign up and practise their Drop, Cover and Hold.

Kelvin Powell, the Council’s Local Controller in a Civil Defence emergency, says ShakeOut is an opportunity for everyone to think about their preparedness and have a conversation with family and friends about what to do if an earthquake hits.

“Emergencies can happen anywhere, anytime and without warning,” he says. “So, it’s important we all know what to do. All 20 of the Council’s offices and depots will stop at 1.30pm and Drop, Cover and Hold for one minute.”

Mr Powell is urging people to take a few minutes to join the Council and the rest of New Zealand and participate in the drill.

“Let’s all have a bit of fun doing the ShakeOut with friends, family, or colleagues, while making sure at the same time that we’re prepared and ready for an emergency.”

More than 700,000 people have already registered across New Zealand, with more than 230 businesses, schools and organisations in the Waikato region set to participate in the drill.

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