With earthquakes a regular threat across the territory, the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency wants you to Drop, Cover and Hold On at 10:17 a.m. Thursday as the agency observes the 2013 Great USVI ShakeOut.
The largest earthquake drill in the Virgin Islands aims to get people to practice the three steps that help with earthquake survival by getting under a sturdy piece of furniture and holding on for the duration.
“We are keenly aware that the Virgin Islands, in fact the Caribbean region, lies in active seismic zone and the possibility of a strong earthquake occurring is very real,” VITEMA Director Elton Lewis said in a press release. “Earthquakes occur without warning so it’s important that the entire community knows how to react, survive and recover. This earthquake drill encourages everyone to practice ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On,’ the three basic steps that could save a life.”
Lewis urged businesses, nonprofits, governments, neighborhoods, organizations, households and schools to register and participate in the annual Great USVI ShakeOut. Participation is free and takes only a few minutes.
The Great USVI ShakeOut is part of the world’s largest earthquake drill and is also being organized in more than 40 U.S. states and several countries around the world. About 20 million participants are projected for Thursday, including 120,000 registered participants in Puerto Rico.
“This drill is one of many activities sponsored by our agency to promote planning and preparedness between all who are part of the emergency management team, that is, local, state and federal governments, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and individuals and families,” Alejandro De La Campa, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Caribbean Area Division, said. “It’s really important that everyone in the community plan and learn how they will reunite with their families, how they will communicate amongst each other and what they will do in different emergency situation, De La Campa said.
The ShakeOut website offers essential resources to support participation in the USVI ShakeOut and to promote awareness and preparedness, including drill manuals for schools, businesses, government and community organizations to learn how to be ready for the next big earthquake.
The USVI is officially participating for the first time this year and joins a growing network of Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills, which began in California in 2008 and now involve more than 20 million people.
Visit www.ShakeOut.org/usvi to register to participate in the Great USVI ShakeOut and to learn more about surviving and recovering from a major earthquake.
