Join Us For The World's Largest Earthquake Drill
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is encouraging all Illinoisans to participate in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut on October 16, 2014, at 10:16 a.m. The goal of this “Drop, Cover and Hold On” drill is to draw attention to the earthquake hazard that exists in Illinois, across the country and around the world.
The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut is held on the third Thursday of October each year as part of a large-scale ShakeOut involving millions of participants from more than 40 states and territories and several other countries. To date almost 21 million people have registered worldwide. Nearly 290,000 of those registrants are Illinoisans.
Some of the worst earthquakes in the U.S. occurred during the winter of 1811-1812 when earthquakes shook the Mississippi River Valley along the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The series of at least three magnitude 7 or greater earthquakes changed the landscape of the Central U.S. If earthquakes of similar magnitude happened today, their effects could have catastrophic impacts on national transportation, communication, utility and financial systems.
To participate in the ShakeOut log on to the ShakeOut website, http://www.shakeout.org/centralus/, where you can register for the drill and obtain details and reference materials. Please encourage others in your community to participate in ShakeOut, including schools, businesses, families, government agencies, medical facilities, colleges, universities and other organizations.
If an organization cannot participate on October 16, another day may be selected to conduct a “Drop, Cover and Hold On” drill. If another day is selected, the organization should still register on the ShakeOut website.
Additional earthquake preparedness and mitigation information is available on the following websites: http://www.ready.illinois.gov and http://www.cusec.org.
For more information, contact Kate Mackz at IEMA at 217/785-9925 or kate.mackz@illinois.gov.
The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut is held on the third Thursday of October each year as part of a large-scale ShakeOut involving millions of participants from more than 40 states and territories and several other countries. To date almost 21 million people have registered worldwide. Nearly 290,000 of those registrants are Illinoisans.
Some of the worst earthquakes in the U.S. occurred during the winter of 1811-1812 when earthquakes shook the Mississippi River Valley along the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The series of at least three magnitude 7 or greater earthquakes changed the landscape of the Central U.S. If earthquakes of similar magnitude happened today, their effects could have catastrophic impacts on national transportation, communication, utility and financial systems.
To participate in the ShakeOut log on to the ShakeOut website, http://www.shakeout.org/centralus/, where you can register for the drill and obtain details and reference materials. Please encourage others in your community to participate in ShakeOut, including schools, businesses, families, government agencies, medical facilities, colleges, universities and other organizations.
If an organization cannot participate on October 16, another day may be selected to conduct a “Drop, Cover and Hold On” drill. If another day is selected, the organization should still register on the ShakeOut website.
Additional earthquake preparedness and mitigation information is available on the following websites: http://www.ready.illinois.gov and http://www.cusec.org.
For more information, contact Kate Mackz at IEMA at 217/785-9925 or kate.mackz@illinois.gov.
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