National Drill of September 19: a key guide to prepare it at home

On Saturday, September 19 at exactly 12:00 (Mexico City time), the Second National Drill 2026 will take place, an exercise to promote a culture of prevention and strengthen reaction capabilities in the face of earthquakes. Various organizations, such as the National Center for Disaster Prevention (Cenapred), recommend conducting earthquake drills periodically with the family, adapting official guidelines to the needs of the household. There are different modalities to carry out these drills:

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• Cabinet drill: consists of a prior coordination session, like a working table, where residents review the home layout, assess hazards, and identify the role of each member before making movements. According to civil protection technical recommendations, every field drill must be preceded by a cabinet drill
• Field drill: It is the practical execution in real time where participants move to safety zones. In the case of the 19-S drill, it begins with the activation of the seismic alert
• Drill with prior notice versus without prior notice: the guides advise starting with exercises where everyone knows the date and time in advance. After assimilating the protocol, it is possible to schedule drills without prior notice to evaluate the real reaction under unforeseen scenarios

Organization and prevention tips at home

To ensure that , it is recommended to carry out a prior inspection and organization in the home that includes:

• Hazard identification: check the condition of the building, secure or screw down furniture vulnerable to tipping over, and remove obstacles from hallways and evacuation routes
• Role assignment: agree in advance who will assist girls, boys, elderly adults, sick or disabled persons, or designate a person responsible for taking care of pets
• Supply cutoff: assign a person responsible for shutting off water and gas valves, as well as disconnecting electrical power
• Delimitation of safe zones: create a simple sketch with green arrows to indicate the safest evacuation routes, locate the lowest risk zones inside the home, and define a meeting point outside, as well as a family gathering site

The life backpack and protocol during the seismic alert

After the sound of the seismic alert, family members must stop their activities and move to safe zones without running, shouting, or pushing.

Those living on the ground floor or low levels of buildings should evacuate outside as long as the route is clear. On the other hand, people on upper floors should take cover in the lowest risk area during the earthquake and evacuate as soon as it ends.

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During the exercise, the life backpack must be taken, which should be equipped with water bottles, non-perishable food for at least two days, a first aid kit, flashlight, battery-powered radio, tools, keys, and a USB memory with digitized files of the most important personal documents.

At the end at the meeting point, the family should measure the time taken and analyze the development of the practice to correct possible failures in the family evacuation plan. According to earthquake protection organizations, constant prevention remains the main strategy to mitigate the impact of disasters.

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