Community participates in international ShakeOut Thursday

Drop, cover and hold! That’s the message people are taking seriously around the world Thursday. It is International ShakeOut day.

Pocatello City Hall, local schools and businesses participated in the world-wide event by simulating exit strategies in the case of a catastrophic earthquake.

This comes mere days after a 4.5 earthquake shook the ground in northern California. Southeastern Idaho borders a fault line, making our area vulnerable to earthquakes.

Emergency managers are urging the public to be aware and to have a plan.

“So the biggest thing is to pay attention to what’s going on around you, be situationally aware and be thinking about the ‘what if’s,'” Pocatello Fire Department Capt. Glenn Powell said.

Earthquakes in Idaho are much more common than most people expect. Southeast Idaho borders a fault line. Over the past month, the region has experienced at least three minor earthquakes. According to the Earthquake Track website, 21 days ago, a 1.6 earthquake hit Montpelier; 18 days ago, a 2.5 hit Paris and 17 days ago, a 2.9 earthquake hit Dubois.

KIFI 2019