Costa Rica will conduct a nationwide emergency evacuation drill Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 10 a.m. as authorities seek to strengthen the country’s ability to respond to natural disasters.

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) is coordinating the exercise, which will encourage residents, businesses and public institutions to practice simple, practical steps that can help keep people safe during real emergencies.

The drill is designed to prepare the public for a range of natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, forest fires, landslides and volcanic eruptions.

Authorities are urging public institutions, private companies and residents across the country to participate. People can register through the SimulacroCR website, which provides resources for developing an emergency preparedness plan and guidance on how to respond to different types of natural disasters.

After completing the drill, participants are encouraged to upload their organization, family or community emergency plans through the platform. The exercise also will be streamed live on the CNE’s social media channels.

Officers are warning drivers that building safety protocols will require people to evacuate buildings during the exercise, potentially causing traffic congestion in surrounding areas. Drivers are therefore urged to slow down and exercise caution during the two-hour emergency drill.

Costa Rica is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the region and experiences an average of about 400 tremors each month, according to officials.

One of the strongest earthquakes felt in Costa Rica this year occurred on April 16. The magnitude-5.7 earthquake struck at 1 a.m., with an epicenter about 28 miles southwest of Frijolar Beach in Santa Cruz Canton, Guanacaste Province.

The strongest earthquake on record in Costa Rica was the 1991 Limón earthquake. On April 22, 1991, at 3:57 p.m., a magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Pandora District in Valle La Estrella Canton in Limón Province.

The earthquake was felt from Nicaragua to Panama and killed 48 people in Costa Rica and 79 in Panama, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The CNE works with communities and emergency responders to strengthen the nation’s preparedness, response and recovery efforts related to natural hazards.

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