Are You Ready to “ShakeOut”, UMD?
On October 17th at 10:17 a.m., UMD will be participating in The Great SouthEast ShakeOut, an earthquake preparedness drill aimed at educating the UMD Community on what to do in case of an earthquake in our area.
With 38 million people living and working in the South East United States, a major earthquake could cause unprecedented devastation. What we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like afterwards. With earthquakes an inevitable part of the South East’s future, we must act quickly to ensure that disasters do not become catastrophes.
Great ShakeOut drills worldwide involved over 23 million people through broad-based outreach programs, media partnerships, and public advocacy by partners in each region. The drill is held statewide annually on the third Thursday of October, and is organized by the Earthquake Country Alliance (www.earthquakecountry.org).
The 2013 Great SouthEast ShakeOut earthquake drill will be at 10:17 a.m. on October 17.
A key aspect of the ShakeOut is the integration of comprehensive science-based earthquake research and the lessons learned from decades of social science research about why people get prepared. The result is a “teachable moment” on par with having an actual earthquake (often followed by increased interest in getting ready for earthquakes). ShakeOut creates the sense of urgency that is needed for people, organizations, and communities to get prepared, to practice what to do to be safe, and to learn what plans need to be improved.
The 2013 ShakeOut drill will be the largest preparedness event in U.S. history.
For more information, visit www.ShakeOut.org/SouthEast or contact Alisha Childress at 301-405-2670.
View FAQ at http://shakeout.org/southeast/faq/.