(UNDATED) – Hoosiers can join the Indiana Department of Homeland Security on Friday for the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, a statewide earthquake preparedness exercise.
The ShakeOut allows citizens to practice proper safety measures in the event of an earthquake. It’s simple to participate and only takes a few minutes. Here’s how it works: at 10:11 a.m. on Friday, participants should drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy table or desk and hold on as if a major earthquake were happening.
The ShakeOut is a national event designed to promote preparedness for the threat of earthquakes.
“It’s not a matter of ‘if’ an earthquake will happen, it’s ‘when’ will it happen,” said Allison Curry, natural hazards planning manager for IDHS. “Hoosiers may not be aware of the serious threat Indiana faces due to the proximity of the two seismic zones. It’s important to continue educating the public, as well as our emergency responders, so they are prepared when an earthquake occurs.”
Hoosiers face a serious threat of earthquakes along the New Madrid Seismic Zone, located 180 miles southwest of Evansville, and the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone, which encompasses parts of southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana.
Indiana schools, businesses and families can participate in the ShakeOut by registering at shakeout.org/centralus. Registration is free and all Hoosiers can participate.
Each year, IDHS and the Indiana Geological and Water Survey visit an Indiana school during the ShakeOut with the Quake Cottage to help students and teachers experience the feel of an earthquake and know how to react when an earthquake happens. The Quake Cottage simulates what it would feel like during an earthquake and is one of only three simulators in the country.
Leading up to the ShakeOut, Hoosiers can check houses, workplaces or schools for potential earthquake hazards and create a preparedness kit that can be used for a variety of situations, not just earthquakes. Preparedness kits include water and food for the entire household, an all-hazard weather radio, first-aid supplies, flashlights and batteries, medication, items for pets and extra clothing. For information on preparedness kits and emergency preparedness, visit GetPrepared.in.gov.
The ShakeOut is the largest earthquake drill in the central United States, and it’s led by local emergency management agencies, IDHS, the Indiana Geological, and Water Survey, the Indiana Department of Education, the Central United States Earthquake Consortium, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey.
More than 2.1 million people in the central U.S. region have registered so far, and Indiana currently has more than 319,000 registrants. Other states participating include Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Last year, more than 460,000 Hoosiers registered for the drill.
