September 27, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Three Weeks until the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill
On 10.18.18, Ohioans are encouraged to Drop, Cover and Hold On
COLUMBUS, OH – National Preparedness Month is
almost over, but that doesn’t mean we stop preparing for disasters. FEMA, the
Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency
(Ohio EMA) are encouraging citizens to stay prepared and Get Ready to ShakeOut during the annual Great Central U.S. ShakeOut earthquake
drill.
Held
annually on the third Thursday in October, ShakeOut
is set for October 18th at 10:18 a.m. CUSEC notes though, like fire
drills, the earthquake drill can be scheduled for a date and time more suitable
for schools and businesses.
“People
may say ‘Why do we need to practice earthquake drills in Ohio?’ We practice
because Ohio does experience earthquakes,” said Ohio EMA Executive Director
Sima Merick. “Ohio has had four low-scale earthquakes so far this year. It is
also good to know earthquake safety in the event you’ve traveled to another
state or country where quakes can occur with higher magnitude and frequency.”
The
actual ShakeOut drill is only one
minute long. But ShakeOut is more
than an earthquake drill. ShakeOut is
intended to get people to talk about emergency preparedness and to plan for all
hazards and disasters such as earthquakes, floods, fires, tornadoes or hazmat
incidents.
What do
you do during the ShakeOut drill?
Practice the safest response to an earthquake:
-
DROP where you are, onto your hands and
knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and allows you to
stay low and crawl to shelter if it’s nearby. If you have mobility issues,
either lock the wheels of your wheelchair or stay seated, and bend over.
-
COVER your head and neck with one arm
and hand. If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter.
If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall, away from windows.
-
HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If you
are under a table or desk for shelter, hold onto it with one hand and be ready
to move with your shelter if it shifts.
There
is still time to register to participate. Individuals, schools, businesses and
organizations can easily register online at www.shakeout.org/centralus/.
Earthquake preparedness information and resources are also available on this
site. If you registered last year, you need only to confirm/update your
information.
Additional
earthquake preparedness information is also available at www.ready.ohio.gov.
Click on “Earthquakes” in the green menu bar.
To
date, more than 2 million people have registered to participate in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut.
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