About 1.3 million
Kiwis have clambered under their desks on Wednesday morning in the name of
earthquake preparedness.
At 9.26am, hundreds
of schools and workplaces across the country have taken part in the ShakeOut,
the first ever national earthquake drill.
Several radio
stations and TV1 broadcast a civil defence siren to mark the start of the
drill.
Participants were
urged to practise the drop, cover, hold drill, which means dropping to the
ground when an earthquake hits, taking cover by getting under a sturdy desk or
table and holding on until the shaking stops.
People were expected
to stay under cover for only about 10 seconds, but director of civil defence
emergency management John Hamilton said he wanted the ShakeOut to be more than
just a one-off drill.
"Immediately
after the drill is a good time for people to stop and talk about the drill,
what they did, what might happen in a real earthquake, talk about their
preparedness and also consider other emergencies," he said.
"Many of the
things people do to prepare for an earthquake are also important for other
emergencies."
Since the first 7.1
magnitude quake hit Christchurch on September 4, 2010, more than 27,450 further
quakes have been recorded.
Almost 500 of those
quakes have measured between magnitude 4 and 5, while 56 quakes have measured
over magnitude 5.
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