TEMA Video Campaign Puts Focus on Earthquake Safety

Week-Long Series Offers Individual Preparedness Tips

 

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) will highlight earthquake safety in series of website and social media videos for Tennessee's Earthquake Preparedness Week, Feb. 13 to Feb. 19, 2011.

The videos will be available on TEMA's website at www.tnema.org and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TNDisasterInfo.  The earthquake preparedness videos will highlight topics such as having emergency procedures for children during disasters, creating a home evacuation plan and eliminating earthquake hazards.

"Preparedness starts at the individual level first and foremost," said TEMA Director James Bassham.  "We want these videos to raise awareness among individuals, families and businesses as to the steps they need to take to be safe when an earthquake, or any disaster, strikes."

TEMA's earthquake preparedness video campaign is part of the agency's larger involvement with the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut and National Level Earthquake Exercise 2011 (NLE 2011).

The ShakeOut promotes practicing the “Drop, Cover, Hold On” earthquake safety technique. At precisely 10:15 a.m. on April 28, 2011, thousands of citizens throughout the central U.S. will drop to the ground, take cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table and hold on for 60 seconds.

More than 32,700 Tennesseans are already registered at www.shakeout.org/centralus to participate in the April 28 ShakeOut.

NLE 2011 is scheduled for May 2011 and will focus on preparing and coordinating a state and federal response to a national catastrophic event.

NLE 2011 will simulate a catastrophic earthquake in the central U.S. region of the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ). The year 2011 is the bicentennial anniversary of the 1811 New Madrid earthquake, for which the NMSZ is named. NLE 2011 will be the first NLE to simulate a natural hazard.

NLE 2011 activities will take place at command posts, emergency operation centers and federal facilities in Washington D.C. and the eight member states of the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC): Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

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TRANSCRIPT:  I'm Jim Bassham with Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

We're all too familiar with floods and tornados in Tennessee, but it's just as likely our state will experience a major earthquake within our lifetime.

In an earthquake, most deaths and injuries are caused by collapsing building materials and heavy falling objects, such as bookcases, cabinets, and heating units.

Learn the safe spots in each room of your home. If you have children, get the entire family to practice going to these locations.

Preparedness is an individual responsibility.

I'm an emergency manager and I'm asking you to plan ahead, and practice what to do if an earthquake strikes.