Indiana officials preparing for multi-state earthquake drill

January 11, 2012
By: Bruce Berry

Officials in Indiana are continuing to prepare for a large multi-state earthquake drill, the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, which is set to take place in less than a month.

Already, more than 1 million people across nine different states are set to participate in the drill, run by the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium, which will take place at 10:15 a.m. Central time on February 7. At that time, the group wants participants to follow the steps of "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" to simulate what they should do in the event of a real quake.

Damage from earthquakes, which isn't covered under traditional home insurance policies, affects many people each year. Officials say the steps taken to prepare for earthquakes are also important when dealing with other disasters.

"When you're preparing for an earthquake, you're also preparing for the other types of emergencies and disasters," John Erickson, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, told the Indianapolis Star. "You're preparing for tornadoes. You're preparing for winter storms. Things that apply to earthquakes will also apply to other situations."

The event's website says the first ShakeOut, which took place in April 2011, involved 11 states and more than 3 million people.

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