Tennesseans Make Earthquake Preparedness a Priority with Great Central U.S. ShakeOut

NASHVILLE, TENN. – Tennessee will be among 14 central and southern U.S. states on Thursday, Oct., 15, 2020, 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 currently 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.

“Major earthquakes happen somewhere in the world every year, and major earthquakes have shaken and reshaped Tennessee’s geography,” TEMA Director Patrick Sheehan said. ”Most major cities and population centers across the world have some risk of earthquakes, but awareness of our hazards and risks is the first step for Tennesseans to make informed decisions about how to begin preparing themselves today. In the busyness of day-to-day life, it can be tough to carve out time to prepare, but families and communities can make themselves ready and more resilient by taking small steps beginning today.”

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; and,

·      HOLD ON until the shaking stops.

To date, more than 158,000 Tennessee participants have registered for the ShakeOut.

The ShakeOut is free and open-to-the-public. To participate, individuals and organizations can register at www.shakeout.org/centralus. Once registered, participants receive regular information on how to plan their drill and become better prepared for earthquakes and other disasters.

TEMA is coordinating the ShakeOut in Tennessee with the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium and its Member and Associate States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, and dozens of other partners.

Other states participating in the ShakeOut include Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma.

About the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency: TEMA’s mission is to coordinate preparedness, response and recovery from man-made, natural and technological hazards in a professional and efficient manner in concert with our stakeholders. Follow TEMA on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr, and at www.tn.gov/tema.

About ReadyTN:  ReadyTN is a mobile device application from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) providing emergency preparedness, response, and recovery information to Tennesseans. Ready TN is available for mobile devices running Apple and Android operating systems. For more information on ReadyTN’s features and on downloading, visit www.tn.gov/tema/ready-tn.html.

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