At 10:21 a.m. on October 21, millions of Californians will participate in the largest earthquake drill ever! Why? Major earthquakes can and will happen anywhere you work, live, or travel in California. But when each second counts, you want to take quake-safe actions.

With one month until the 2010 Great California ShakeOut, 5.5 million people in businesses, government offices, neighborhoods, and schools have registered. Last year, more than 6.9 million people participated in the nation’s largest earthquake drill. The drill, now a statewide event, offers an annual opportunity to improve preparedness and practice protective actions across the Golden State.

Everyone can participate! Individuals, families, businesses, schools, government agencies and organizations are all invited to join in at 10:21am on 10/21. So far, almost 500,000 San Bernardino County residents, businesses and other participants have registered, and there’s still time to sign up at www.ShakeOut.org/register.

One of the most crucial preparedness steps is to maintain an emergency supplies kit – food, water, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies and special items for medical conditions. Residents should keep enough food and water supplies to sustain themselves for a minimum of 5 to 7 days, but it’s best to prepare for two weeks. Residents can download preparedness documents including a checklist of Emergency Supply Kit contents, and tips for food and water storage from www.sbcfire.org/oes and clicking on Disaster Preparedness. Complete emergency kits can also be purchased from the Red Cross.