The Great Utah ShakeOut!

All residents of the Stonewood Area are encouraged to prepare to participate in the “Great Utah ShakeOut” earthquake drill on April 16th, 2026, at 6:00 PM. This drill is to help prepare us for a possible future earthquake along the Wasatch Front.

Utah has experienced damaging earthquakes in the past, and geologic evidence indicates that earthquakes larger than any previously experienced are likely in the future.

To maximize your benefit from the Great Utah ShakeOut Drill, we recommend that you participate in as many of the following activities as are relevant to your situation.

Family/Group Activities Before the Earthquake Drill

Preparing Your Home

Prepare. Print a copy of the following Home Hazard Hunt picture for each family member of your household (or create teams) who can read and understand each of the hazards written around the outside of it. As a group, read each hazard description aloud, and make sure that each member (or team) understands what the hazard is, where to find it, and how to tell if it exists in your home. The one leading the activity should determine how many minutes completing the Home Hazard Hunt should take.
Start the Hunt. Begin the hunt by letting each person (or team) go independently through your house to determine which hazards actually exist, and where each hazard is located. Note that multiple instances of a hazard may exist in your home, such as free-standing televisions. Have each person or team write, by the description, how many instances of each actual hazard are found. If the home does not have a specific hazard, mark it as OK by the description, and count it as “found”.
Score and Plan. At the end of the Hunt, have everyone get back together, and tally the number of instances of all hazards they listed on their paper. The person (or team) with the highest VALID score wins the hunt! Next, discuss how you can reduce the number of actual earthquake hazards in your home, and create an action plan for accomplishing it.

Preparing Your Earthquake Response

The California Academy of Science has published the following six steps to stay safe in an earthquake:

  1. Make a plan.  Gathering your family will be top on your list.  Choose a meeting place and an out-of-area contact person to relay messages
  2. Secure your home. Make sure your house is as shakeproof as possible by retrofitting weak spots, strapping down heavy furniture and securing loose objects; this should be accomplished as a result of completing the Home Hazard Hunt above.
  3. Get a kit.  Store supplies to get your family through at least the first three days after a quake.
  4. Drop, cover and hold on.  Have each family member memorize the following procedure, along with the “drop, cover and hold on” jingle that will help them remember the actions to take. Then, when a quake actually starts: drop down where you are, and cover your head.  If you’re near heavy furniture, take cover underneath and hold on tight. See the illustration below for details.
  5. Check for hazards.  When the shaking stops, check for injuries and for damage to the home electrical wires, gas lines, walls, floors and water pipes.
  6. Stay connected.  Surviving a quake is a community effort. Get to know your neighbors now, and work together with local organizations to prepare.

What to do During the Earthquake Drill

During the earthquake drill at 6:00 PM on Thursday, April 16th, 2026, we encourage all Stonewood Area residents to practice the following earthquake survival procedure, wherever they are and whatever they are doing at 6:00 PM.

This procedure prepares you to:

  • Drop down where you are, and
  • Cover your head. 
  • If you’re near heavy furniture, take cover underneath and Hold On tight!
  • For those with mobility limitations, and in other scenarios, see variations on
    https://www.earthquakecountry.org/step5/

What to do After the Earthquake Drill

Orem City has provided an organization for determining and communicating how many residents are affected by a major disaster, including the extent of injuries and/or property damage. Since the Great Utah ShakeOut is designed to assist in earthquake preparedness and survival, we will NOT check in with block captains on April 16th, 2026, unless your neighborhood emergency leaders inform you otherwise. We will go through the Orem City block captain check-in exercise during the Orem City Drill in September 2026.

Thank you for your preparations and participation in the Great Utah ShakeOut Earthquake Drill!

For additional information, please look at the Earthquake Preparedness page of this website. Also find lots of useful information and earthquake preparedness tips at the official site of the Great Utah ShakeOut earthquake drill.