The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), is encouraging First State residents and businesses to take part in the 6th Annual Great American Shakeout Earthquake Drill Thursday.
The event is designed to get people prepared for the possibility of earthquakes.
DEMA community relations officer Gary Laing says earthquakes weren’t much of a consideration in our area until 2011.
“When there was one based in Virginia that shook us pretty well. And then last November, we had one centered in the Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge, just north of Dover, that was a 4.1 earthquake. Now on a comparative scale, that’s not like the ones they get in California and other areas. But it was enough to shake us up,” Laing said.
Laing says while some may see the drill as silly, he disagrees.
“One of the reasons it’s not silly is because we really aren’t prepared for earthquakes like some of the more earthquake-prone areas are. They build their buildings to be earthquake resistant. They know how to react; they do certain things to protect themselves. We don’t do that here,” said Laing.
Laing says during the self-led drill on Thursday at 10:18 a.m., participants can practice how to “Drop, Cover and Hold On.”
That means dropping onto your hands and knees wherever you are; covering your head and neck with one arm while crawling under a sturdy desk or table, then holding on until the shaking stops.
The Great Shakeout Earthquake Drill is being coordinated by the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium, FEMA, the U.S. Geological Survey and other partners.
