Fredericksburg Participates in Oct. 18 Earthquake Drill
The Great Southeast ShakeOut is scheduled for 10:18 a.m. Thursday.
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In response to the Aug. 23, 2011 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Mineral, VA, and felt all along the east coast, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is organizing the Great Southeast ShakeOut to help people prepare for major earthquakes and practice how to protect themselves when they happen.
The multi-state simultaneous earthquake drill will be held in Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Maryland, and in the District of Columbia. As of Oct. 17, there were more than 903,000 participants registered in Virginia, according to the registration website.
Local participation will include the University of Mary Washington. At 10:18 a.m. Thursday, UMV's Area Warning System will be tested and a text alert will be sent, according to the school.
The drill is open to everyone – individuals, families, businesses, organizations, schools and colleges, and government agencies can sign up at www.shakeout.org/southeast. Once registered, participants will receive information on how to plan their drill and how to engage communities to become better prepared for earthquakes and disasters.
Sponsors of the event include the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
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Remember the quake? Here are a few stories from Fredericksburg Patch:
Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake Strikes Fredericksburg
Where Were You During the Quake of 2011?
Fredericksburg Earthquake 2011 Hits YouTube
Speak Out: Where Were You During the Virginia Earthquake?
