At 10:20 a.m. people across the province are going to drop, cover and hold on.

Thursday is the 'Great British Columbia Shakeout' event where more then 500,000 people have registered to participate in preparing for an earthquake.

Photo: Contributed - ShakeoutBC

Federal, provincial, local emergency management experts have come to the consensus that "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" is the right way to go to prevent injury and death during earthquakes.

Shakeout is an opportunity to allow people to practice how to protect themselves during an earthquake.

The main point of the "Drop, Cover, and Hold On"  is not to move and to immediately protect yourself the best way possible by:

• Dropping to the ground, before the earthquake drops you
• Taking cover by getting under a a sturdy desk or table
• Holding on to the desk/table until the shaking stops

Shakeout B.C.'s webpage states that studies, of injuries and deaths caused by earthquakes in the U.S., claim injuries are more likely because of falling or flying objects (TVs, lamps, glass, bookcases, etc.) than dying in a collapsed building.

Heather Lyle, of Shakeout B.C., wants to remind people that this province is in a seismically active zone and with many lessons learned from the recent quakes in Japan and New Zealand.

"The drill takes only a minute of your day and offers residents, businesses and agencies the opportunity to practice the recommended safety technique of Drop, Cover and Hold-On, while at the same time serve as a reminder to review emergency plans and your emergency supplies."

Lyle points out that Shakeout B.C.'s webpage also has a list of what not to do during an earthquake.

• Do not get in a doorway : In modern houses and buildings, doorways are no safer, and they do not protect from flying or falling objects. Get under a table instead.
• Do not run outside:  Running outside is especially dangerous, as glass, bricks, or other building components may be falling.
• Do not believe in the so-called 'triangle of life': In recent years, an e-mail has circulated which has recommended potentially life threatening actions, and the source has been discredited by leading experts.

For more information on earthquake preparedness go to, http://www.shakeoutbc.ca