City to join natural disaster drill

The Great Alaska ShakeOut site contains information and resources for anyone who wants to participate in the ShakeOut drill. Counties along the Georgia-South Carolina border are in an area of the state at greatest risk for earthquakes, as are Georgia’s northwest, central and west central counties.

“Drop! Cover! Hold on!” are what local students will learn at assemblies this week in preparation for the Great Washington ShakeOut.

This means that wherever you are at that moment-at home, at work, at school, anywhere-you should Drop, Cover, and Hold On as if there were a major quake occurring at that very moment You should stay in this position for at least 60 seconds.

If possible, cover your head and neck (and your entire body if possible) under a sturdy table or desk. HOLD ON to your shelter and be prepared to move with it until the shaking stops.

In addition to Alaska, numerous states, territories, and countries will participate in the worldwide ShakeOut event. To date, more than 534,000 people in Illinois are registered for the October ShakeOut event. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is coordinating the project and is encouraging all Americans to take part.

The approximately two-minute drill is a voluntary exercise as a first response to a simulated magnitude 7.8 natural disaster along the southern San Andreas Fault.

The Ready Campaign advocates four universal building blocks of preparedness-Be Informed, Make a Plan, Build a Kit, and Get Involved-and continues to raise awareness about the importance of preparing.