Great ShakeOut 2026: Turn the October 15 Drill Into an Organizational Readiness Check

Published October 12, 2026. For current incident information, use the official sources linked in this article.

The 2026 Great ShakeOut is scheduled for Thursday, October 15, at 10:15 a.m. local time. FEMA highlighted the drill in its October 6 bulletin. For emergency managers, facility leaders and continuity teams, it is a timely opportunity to practice earthquake protective actions and examine what happens immediately afterward.

A short drill can become a useful organizational readiness check without becoming a full-scale exercise. The approach below is a suggested local planning format, not an official ShakeOut requirement. Keep the protective-action drill distinct from the discussion that follows.

Start with safe, accessible protective actions

Use official earthquake guidance when briefing participants. USGS advises people indoors to remain inside during shaking, take cover under a desk or table and hold on, rather than rush outside. Review the guidance for your setting and arrange appropriate participation options for people with mobility or other access needs before the drill.

Tell staff, contractors and visitors what will happen, how the drill will be announced and how it will end. Label all exercise messages clearly. Coordinate with building management and avoid disrupting essential services or creating confusion with real emergency notifications.

Choose two decisions to test

A focused objective gives observers something concrete to assess. For a small organization, two useful questions are: can supervisors account for their people, and can leadership decide how essential work will continue if the facility is unavailable?

Define what evidence would demonstrate those capabilities. That could include a completed accountability report, an identified decision authority and a documented next step for one essential function. Do not treat attendance alone as proof that the plan works.

Add a short discussion after the drill

Once the protective-action portion has ended, convene the people responsible for facilities, operations, communications and continuity. The following 20-minute format is a planning suggestion. It can be held immediately afterward or later that day.

1. First five minutes: Review how the announcement and protective-action practice went. Identify unclear instructions or participation barriers.
2. Next ten minutes: Introduce a hypothetical disruption and ask participants to explain their decisions using existing plans and contact information.
3. Final five minutes: Select the most important gaps, assign owners and agree on follow-up dates.

Keep the scenario clearly fictional. For example: “For this discussion, assume the primary facility is unavailable pending assessment and normal telephone service is disrupted.” This is an exercise assumption, not a forecast or report of an actual earthquake.

Ask for procedures, contacts and authority

Use questions that expose dependencies rather than invite broad assurances:

• How would you account for employees, visitors and people working away from the facility?
• What backup method would you use if the usual notification system failed?
• Who can authorize relocation or a change in operating arrangements?
• Which essential function must continue first, and what personnel, records and equipment does it require?
• Who coordinates with building management and the appropriate authorities about access and safe reentry?

Ask participants to locate the relevant plan section or contact record. If nobody can find it, record that as an observation. Keep actual evacuation and reentry actions aligned with your facility procedures and local official direction; a discussion exercise does not establish that a building is safe.

Capture findings that lead to action

Record what happened, what was expected, the operational consequence and the proposed correction. “Improve communications” is too broad. A more usable action is to verify the backup staff notification process, assign a responsible office and test it by an agreed date.

Separate immediate fixes from issues requiring funding, policy approval or partner coordination. Schedule a brief follow-up to check whether the action was completed and whether another test is needed.

Build a larger exercise only where needed

If the drill exposes uncertainty about authority, alternate facilities or prolonged communications loss, use those findings to scope a later tabletop. The Response Depot Tabletop Exercise Design Kit is a starting point for organizing a tabletop and documenting follow-up actions. Customize materials to your objectives and operating environment.

The value of October 15 is the opportunity to practice, identify a specific weakness and make a measurable improvement. Confirm your regional ShakeOut arrangements and follow local emergency-management guidance.

Official sources

• FEMA Bulletin, October 6, 2026: Great ShakeOut reminder
• Great ShakeOut: regional information and registration
• USGS: What should I do during an earthquake?

Sources checked October 12, 2026. Organizational exercise suggestions are Response Depot guidance. Cover image is an original editorial illustration, not a depiction of an actual disaster.