On Thursday, Oct. 18, at 10:18 a.m., the University of Oregon will be reminded that The Really Big One is overdue.

The occasion is the annual “Great Oregon ShakeOut,” part of a national campaign to promote personal and community readiness for earthquakes. The UO marks the event with a test of the UO Alerts emergency notification system, so all students and employees will receive a test email and those who have signed up for UO Alerts  — which is highly encouraged — will get a text as well.

In an actual earthquake, the response should be to duck, cover and hold on. More preparedness videos, and personal emergency plans, are available from UO Safety and Risk Services emergency management.