It’s intended to remind people to be prepared for powerful earthquakes.
Reisterstown, Md (KM). In addition to being prepared for blizzards and tropical storms, the Maryland Emergency Management Agency wants us to be ready for powerful earthquakes. Spokesman Ed McDonough says this coming Thursday, October 18 at 10:18 AM is the Great Shake Out Drill.
“This grew out of some concerns nationwide about them {earthquakes}, and then it kind of picked up steam in this part of the country after the 2011 earthquake in Mineral, Va., which most of us felt,” he says.
That earthquake in August, 2011, had a magnitude of 5.8.
McDonough says residents should remember during the Great Shake Out Drill that when an earthquake hits, drop, take cover and hold on. He says that means drop to the ground or the floor. “Get under something sturdy, get under a table, or a get in an area where debris won’t be able to fall on you,” he says. “Try and keep something sturdy between you and things on bookshelves or things like that so they won’t fall on you or hurt you.”
And hold on until the shaking stops, says McDonough.
While powerful earthquakes like the one in 2011 are not common in Maryland or the Mid-Atlantic States, they can strike, often without notice. “There are certain weather phenomena that tend to happen at certain times during the day. But earthquakes certainly could happen anytime, day or night,” says McDonough.
By Kevin McManus