How to ShakeOut
Me pēhea te Whakahaumaru
Find basic instructions on how you can get prepared and do the drill. Taking part in New Zealand ShakeOut is easy and a great way for you and your family (or flatmates) to learn the right actions to take before, during and after an earthquake and tsunami.
Before the drill
- Sign up. You can register everyone in two minutes.
- Share the ShakeOut and get others involved.
- Note the time and date in your calendar - Thursday 17 October 2019 at 1.30pm. If you cannot do the drill at 1.30pm on 17 October 2019, you can choose a time to suit you within two weeks of the drill and still be counted.
- Make plans for a tsunami hīkoi if you are in a coastal area.
- Find tsunami evacuation zone maps for your region.
- Learn about the earthquake and tsunami risk in your area and other parts of New Zealand.
- Download and print our Drop, Cover, Hold and Long or Strong, Get Gone posters to remind yourself and others what to do in an earthquake or tsunami.
ShakeOut is held across the world to remind people of the right action to take during an earthquake — Drop, Cover and Hold — and to practise a tsunami hīkoi (evacuation) if in a coastal area.
Doing the drill
There are lots of ways to start the drill, play the announcement recording over your PA system, blow a whistle, shout ‘earthquake drill!’ or watch official videos.
Do the Drop, Cover and Hold drill for 30–60 seconds:
- DROP down on your hands and knees. This protects you from falling but lets you move if you need to.
- COVER your head and neck (or your entire body if possible) under a sturdy table or desk (if it is within a few steps of you).
- HOLD on to your shelter (or your position to protect your head and neck) until the shaking stops. If the shaking shifts your shelter around, move with it.
While you are doing the drill, imagine that it is real and what might be happening around you. Think about what you might need to do before a real earthquake happens to help protect yourself.
This New Zealand ShakeOut audio announcement can be used to facilitate your Drop Cover and Hold earthquake drill. Play it through a speaker or PA so everyone knows the correct action to take.
| DrillDay-Shakeout-and-Tsunami-Hikoi-audio-Sep18_2.mp3 | mp3 | 1.9 MB |
Download and print this factsheet in 24 languages to share what to do in an earthquake.
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-ar-jan17.pdf | 161 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-bi-jan17.pdf | 109 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-ci-jan17.pdf | 119 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-en-dec16.pdf | 2 MB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-es-jan17.pdf | 110 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-fj-jan17.pdf | 107 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-gu-jan17.pdf | 156 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-hi-jan17.pdf | 421 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-ja-jan17.pdf | 154 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-ko-jan17.pdf | 150 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-mi-jan17.pdf | 111 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-my-jan17.pdf | 156 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-pa-jan17.pdf | 153 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-ru-jan17.pdf | 111 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-sm-jan17.pdf | 122 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-so-jan17.pdf | 110 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-ta-jan17.pdf | 162 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-th-jan17.pdf | 268 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-tl-jan17.pdf | 98 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-to-jan17.pdf | 113 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-ur-jan17.pdf | 135 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-vi-jan17.pdf | 251 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-zh-hans-jan17.pdf | 187 KB |
| drop-cover-earthquake-happens-fact-zh-hant-jan17.pdf | 180 KB |
Tsunami hīkoi
If you are in a tsunami evacuation zone you should practise your evacuation route, or ‘tsunami hīkoi’. A tsunami hīkoi is a walk that takes you along your tsunami evacuation route either inland or towards high ground. The East Coast LAB Website has more information about the tsunami hīkoi.
Find out more (eastcoastlab.org.nz)
After the drill
After your drill is complete:
- talk about what you learned;
- make changes to your household emergency plan, business emergency and continuity plans or school / early childhood centre emergency plans if you need to; and
- share your ShakeOut photos, videos and stories on social media.
Newsletters
Read our past newsletters we've sent out about ShakeOut 2019.
797,821 participants
Currently registered nationwide