More than 2.7 million people are currently signed up to simulate recommended safety actions during an earthquake in nine U.S. states - Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Mississippi.
They responded to an invitation by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to join millions of people who will drop, cover, and hold on at 10:15.a.m. on Thursday in the 2013 Great Central U.S. ShakeOut.
Last year, more than 12.5 million people were registered in ShakeOut drills worldwide. USGS is encouraging Americans to participate in the simulation, which it says is "a great way for your family or organization to be prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes."
During the drill, participants will "drop, cover, and hold on," a chance to practice self protection and to help prevent a major earthquake from becoming a catastrophe. This is the recommended safety action to take during an earthquake.
There is broad agreement in the scientific community that a continuing concern exists for a major destructive earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone, which covers the Central U.S. Many structures in Memphis, Tenn., St. Louis, Mo., and other communities in the central Mississippi River Valley region are said to be vulnerable and at risk from severe ground shaking. The assessment is based on decades of research on New Madrid earthquakes and related phenomena by dozens of federal, university, state, and consulting earth scientists.
This will be the third year an earthquake preparedness drill is officially held in the Central United States. Millions of people have participated in ShakeOut drills since 2008.
The original ShakeOut was based on a comprehensive analysis of a major earthquake in southern California known as "The ShakeOut Scenario." That project was completed in 2008 and led by the USGS with many partners as a demonstration of how science can be applied to reduce risks related to natural hazards. The concept and organization of a public drill came out of the collaboration between the USGS, the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), and other partners through the Earthquake Country Alliance (ECA).
Success of the 2008 ShakeOut spurred the organizers at ECA to take the concept worldwide, and turn it into an annual day of disaster preparedness activities. Nationwide, ShakeOut activities are now coordinated and supported by many agencies and partners including SCEC, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC), the American Red Cross, and others.
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