Citizens, businesses, and communities encouraged to register and participate
Tennessee will be among 14 central and southern U.S. states on today, Thursday, Oct., 21, 2021, coordinating the annual Great Central U.S. ShakeOut drill to raise awareness about the importance of catastrophic earthquake preparedness.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is working to register businesses, communities, individuals, organizations, and schools for the ShakeOut drill so they can learn how to prevent damage and injuries in the event of a catastrophic earthquake.
As of the afternoon of October 18, there were 337,888 Tennessee participants.
“The emergencies Tennesseans have faced over the past two years – COVID-19, devastating floods, tornados, a Christmas Day bombing – show us that if a disaster can happen, it will happen,” said TEMA Director Patrick Sheehan. “We don’t know when the next earthquakes will happen, but we can prepare and learn how you can protect yourself, your family, your business, and your community before the ground starts shaking.”
During the ShakeOut drill, participants will practice the Drop, Cover, and Hold On technique, which is the proper self-protection measure in an earthquake.
The technique’s actions are:
DROP to the ground;
Take COVER under a sturdy desk or table, or cover your head and neck with your arms;
HOLD ON until the shaking stops.
The ShakeOut is free and open-to-the-public. To participate, and for more information, individuals and organizations can register at www.shakeout.org/centralus.
