Participants from 10 states took part in central U.S. earthquake drill;
43 states and territories participated nationwide
Indiana led the Great Central U.S. Shakeout with more than 540,000 registered participants. More than 2.4 million people across 10 central U.S. states took part simultaneously in the fourth Great Central U.S. ShakeOut today (Oct. 17, 2013) at 10:17 a.m. The ShakeOut is a regional earthquake drill during which participants simultaneously practice the recommended action to take, specifically DROP, COVER and HOLD ON.
Participants learned to:
- DROP to the ground
- Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table or covering their head and neck with their arms, and
- HOLD ON until the shaking stops.
Citizens, schools, businesses, organizations, government agencies and communities participated in the central U.S. drill. States included in this regional exercise included Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Nationwide, 43 states and territories totaling 15 million people participated today.
“Being prepared for an earthquake means you’re prepared for all hazards Indiana faces each year,” said Indiana Department of Homeland Security Senior Public Information Officer John Erickson. “Many of the same preparations for an earthquake apply to tornadoes, flooding and winter storms. The ShakeOut is a great annual event to help keep Hoosiers thinking about preparing for emergencies.”
To view the full list of participants, go to http://shakeout.org/centralus/participants.php?start=Indiana <http://shakeout.org/centralus/participants.php?start=Indiana> . For more information on the annual drill and to research helpful preparedness information, visit GetPrepared.in.gov.
