News and Events

CONTACT:       Carol Langley                                                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Volunteer/THE EIGHT

Phone: 760-618-1528 Email: admin@theeight.org

www.theeight.org

FIFTH ANNUAL “GREAT CALIFORNIA SHAKEOUT”

SET FOR OCTOBER 19, 2017

All citizens, businesses, and communities in the Coachella Valley encouraged participate

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA. — Following FEMA’s “National Preparedness Month” in September, individuals and communities throughout the Coachella Valley will participate in the fifth annual Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill. 

Held annually on the third Thursday of October, the ShakeOut International Day of Action is set for Thursday, October 19, 2017, at 10:19 a.m.  THE EIGHT in partnership with First Steps Prenatal Care will host a Wellness and Safety Day to include Free Health Screenings, Resources, and Giveaways after the official ShakeOut earthquake audio/video drill. The event will be held at First Steps Prenatal Care, 49281 Grapefruit Blvd, Suite #1, Coachella, CA 92236 (in the Food4Less Shopping Center). During the self-led drill, participants practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On”.  Endorsed by emergency officials and first responders, the safe response to an earthquake is to: 

DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and also allows you to stay low and crawl to shelter if nearby.

COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand

• If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter
• If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall (away from windows)
• Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs
  • Under shelter: hold on to it with one hand; be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts
  • No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.

HOLD ON until shaking stops

23 years ago, on January 17, 1994 at 4:30 am, a 6.7 earthquake that lasted up to 10-20 seconds had occurred; the Northridge earthquake damages were estimated up to $20 billion dollars while the government provided $13 billion for the aid, had ended up with 57 deaths, injuring more than 9,000 people, 125,000 people homeless, 82,000 residential and commercial buildings were damaged or destroyed, including many apartments complexes with ground-floor parking.. The April 2015 M7.8 Nepal earthquake and M8.3 September 16, 2015 earthquake near Illapel, Chile serve as reminders that large earthquakes can occur with little to no warning.  Citizens in the central U.S. are not immune to earthquakes—the region is home to several active seismic zones capable of producing damaging earthquakes, including the New Madrid and Wabash Valley Seismic Zones.

According to Alicia Hollins, Founder of THE EIGHT, “I was new to California and living in Woodland Hills, 10 miles from the epicenter when the Northridge earthquake hit. Fortunately, I survived and vowed to be educated and better prepared for the next big one. While damaging earthquakes here may be fewer in number when compared to other areas, they can occur at any time wherever we work, live, or travel within the region and beyond.  Everyone everywhere should know how to protect themselves from an earthquake.”

The ShakeOut is free and open-to-the-public, and participants include individuals, schools, businesses, local and state government agencies, and many other groups.  To take part in the ShakeOut, individuals and organizations are asked to join the drill by registering to participate by clicking on the ShakeOut banner at www.theeight.org. Once registered, participants receive regular information on how to plan their drill and become better prepared for earthquakes and other disasters.

To date, 2.4 million people are registered to participate in this regional event, 1,036,068 in the Inland Empire however Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills will also occur throughout the nation and in several countries worldwide.  More than 35 million people around the globe are expected to participate; and in addition to safety drills, many participants take extra steps to become more prepared for earthquakes or other disasters.

THE EIGHT in partnership with First Steps Prenatal Care is officially registered as the Great California ShakeOut participants for the Coachella Valley. The Great California ShakeOut is coordinated by the Southern California Earthquake Center, the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium and its other Member and Associate States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey and dozens of other partners. ShakeOut is coordinated globally by the Southern California Earthquake Center in Los Angeles, California.

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For Immediate Release:

February 17, 2017

THE EIGHT Joins National Go4Life® Campaign

New public-private effort focuses on fitness for older adults

LA QUINTA, CA-THE EIGHT announced today that it is partnering with the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health on the Go4Life campaign, a new national exercise and physical activity campaign for people age 50+. The goal of Go4Life is to enlist sedentary older adults – today only 25 percent of people aged 65-74 say the engage in regular physical activity – to reap the health benefits of exercise by making it a part of their everyday lives. 

THE EIGHT Wellness programs target communities challenged by access to and lack of adequate wellness resources. Their wellness programs, workshops and health fairs provide basic information to the public on how to stay well in all areas of their lives: “We are very excited about the Go4Life campaign and proud to join the NIA,” said Francheasca Roberson, Chief Operations Officer. “Together with the range of private and public organizations involved in this effort, we can bring this important message and outstanding Go4Life resources to the communities that we serve.”

THE EIGHT will participate in Go4Life by offering tailor made experiences to help engage and motivate the growing numbers of older people to start exercising, and keep exercising to improve their health and achieve a better quality of life. THE EIGHT will incorporate Go4Life into their own health and wellness activities, disseminating materials to wellness partners, volunteers and throughout 50+ communities.

“You’re never too old to increase your level of physical activity and exercise,” says Richard J. Hodes, M.D., director of the NIA. Go4Life is based on studies demonstrating the benefits of exercise and physical activity for older people, including those with chronic health conditions. This new campaign reaches out to older people who traditionally have not embraced exercise and shows them ways that even those with physical limitations may be able to exercise safely as well.”

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. The NIA leads the federal government effort conducting and supporting research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. The Institute’s broad scientific program seeks to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. Go4Life is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

About THE EIGHT: THE EIGHT, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, promote “wellness” by utilizing the 8 Dimensions of Wellness to assist in the (Occupational, Physical, Social, Spiritual, Financial, Environmental, Intellectual, and Emotional) needs of people in low to moderate income communities.  THE EIGHT mission is “Wellness—Connecting Life Resources to People in Need” with the goal to make wellness the norm in the Coachella Valley and abroad. For more information visit THE EIGHT website at: www.theeight.org.

Contact: Carol Langley

1+760-618-1528

admin@theeight.org

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