Tennessee will be among 14 central and southern U.S. states participating in the ninth annual Great Central U.S. ShakeOut on Thursday, Oct., 17, 2019, to raise awareness about the importance of catastrophic earthquake preparedness.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is working to encourage register businesses, communities, individuals, organizations, and schools to participate in the ShakeOut drill and learn about earthquake dangers and how to protect themselves.

"A major earthquake could happen at any time in Tennessee," said Cecil Whaley, TEMA's assistant director of preparedness. "Community preparedness depends on the readiness of everyone when the ground starts shaking. What Tennesseans learn from the ShakeOut about catastrophic earthquake preparedness can help them anytime, anywhere, and for any disaster."

During the ShakeOut drill, participants will practice the Drop, Cover, and Hold On technique, which is the proper self-protection measure in an earthquake.

The technique's actions are:

• DROP to the ground;
• Take COVER under a sturdy desk or table, or cover your head and neck with your arms; and,
• HOLD ON until the shaking stops.

TEMA will broadcast its ShakeOut event live beginning at 10:10, a.m., Central, on Thursday, Oct. 17, on the agency's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TNDisasterInfo.

The broadcast will begin with a brief background presentation on Tennessee's earthquake threat and participants will demonstrate the Drop, Cover and Hold On technique at 10:17 a.m., Central.

Individuals and organizations can register at www.shakeout.org/centralus and receive information on how to plan their drill and become better prepared for earthquakes and other disasters.

More than 556,000 Tennesseans have registered to date to participate in the ShakeOut

TEMA is coordinating the ShakeOut in Tennessee with the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium and its member states, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, and dozens of other partners.

Other states participating in the ShakeOut include Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma.