National ‘ShakeOut’ Earthquake Drill to be Held in October

Fourteen million participants, including thousands of schools, will take part in the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill on October 18.

Drills will be held in Alaska, Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Georgia, Guam, Idaho, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington. Schools can register at www.ShakeOut.org to participate in the drill — which can be conducted in as little 90 seconds — even if their state is not participating.

“We cannot emphasize enough the importance of events like the ShakeOut, and how critical they are for school preparedness,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano in a statement. “In a recent 2011 earthquake preparedness survey, fewer than half of education institutions indicated that they train staffor students in earthquake preparedness. The ShakeOut offers a unique opportunity for schools to train students and staff on preparedness and to increase awareness of the ‘Drop, Cover, Hold On’ method for protecting ourselves during an earthquake.”

Drill manuals for K-12 schools, colleges, universities and organizations, as well as other material to plan, prepare and promote drills can be found in the resources section of the ShakeOut Web site.

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