LWers and GRF staff participate in earthquake drill

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Millions of people around the world—as well as GRF staff and several Mutuals—took part in this year’s California ShakeOut earthquake drill Oct. 19 to test their level of preparedness for a major temblor.

The 15th annual drill started at 10:19 a.m., when participants “dropped” to the ground, took “cover” under a desk, table or other sturdy surface and “held on” for 60 seconds, as if a major earthquake were occurring.

More than 10 million people in California were registered for the drill, including nearly 4 million in Los Angeles County and 875,000 in Orange County.

Here in LW, residents and GRF staff used the drill as a chance to practice procedures that will be triggered in the event of a disaster. GRF Safety and Emergency Coordinator Eloy Gomez was out and about, communicating with the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) set up at the Amphitheater Building.

LW members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), who are trained volunteer responders, wore hard hats and held radios as they took “injury reports.”

Mutual 6 showed out for the Great ShakeOut Oct. 19. Members decked out in safety whistles and florescent vests took the opportunity to honor Phil Mandeville, who died in September 2022. Mandeville's Mutual 11 and Mutual 6 had a longstanding rivalry to see which group had the biggest turnout for the ShakeOut.

Safety Specialist Eloy Gomez, HR Manager Allison Steele and Mutual Administration Senior Director Jodi Hopkins were just a few of the many GRF staff members who participated in ShakeOut drills.