On October 16 at 10:16 a.m., nearly 4.8 million people across 19 States and the District of Columbia will participate in the Great Central U.S. and Great SouthEast ShakeOut Earthquake Drills. The regional ShakeOut drills are part of a global effort to teach people how to stay safe during an earthquake.
This action—known as “Drop, Cover, and Hold On”—is the safest response while the ground is shaking during an earthquake, and is endorsed by the CUSEC, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), American Red Cross, and other emergency officials and first responders. ShakeOut participants included K-12 schools, businesses, neighborhood groups, colleges and universities, government organizations, and many other groups. Also, several Governors of participating States issued statements proclaiming Oct. 16 as “Great ShakeOut Day” in their States. Including Thursday’s regional drills, more than 20 million people nationwide (and several other countries) participated in Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills.
According to CUSEC Executive Director Jim Wilkinson, “Everyone everywhere should know how to protect themselves during an earthquake. Even if an individual doesn’t live in an area with a high earthquake hazard, they may one day travel to such an area and need to be prepared. ShakeOut provides a dedicated time for individuals and communities to take a few minutes out of their day-to-day activities to practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On—an action that one day may save their lives.” Wilkinson also adds that “Involving the ‘whole community’ is a major focus for us and we sincerely appreciate the dedication our partners have shown as they’ve worked tirelessly to make the ShakeOut a big success.”
The ShakeOut occurs annually on the third Thursday of October with the next drill scheduled for October 15, 2015 at 10:15AM, local time. For more information, visit www.shakeout.org.
