'ShakeOut' Drill Puts Quake Preparedness to the Test

Oklahomans Encouraged to Participate in Regional Earthquake Drill

Next Tuesday, February 7, Oklahomans are encouraged to join more than 2 million people in nine states as they "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" in a region-wide earthquake drill. The event, scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, is sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Oklahoma Geological Survey and is part of the second annual Great Central U.S. ShakeOut.

In recent years Oklahoma has seen more earthquake activity, including a record-breaking 5.6 magnitude earthquake in November. The ShakeOut exercise is designed to help Oklahomans be better prepared in the event that a strong earthquake occurs in the state.

In Oklahoma, more than 45,000 people have already signed up to participate in the drill, including 134 Oklahoma schools, government agencies, and other organizations.

During the ShakeOut, participants will drop to the ground, take cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on to the table for about 60 seconds until the exercise ends. Experts say this is the best way to protect yourself during an earthquake, since in the U.S. the primary threat for injury during an earthquake is falling debris and toppling objects, like bookcases and heavy electronics, rather than structural collapse.

Additionally, to emphasize the importance of earthquake preparedness, Gov. Mary Fallin has proclaimed February 7 as Earthquake Awareness Day in Oklahoma.

"In this state, we recognize the importance of being prepared for all types of disasters, including earthquakes, which is why we are taking part in this regional exercise," said OEM Director Albert Ashwood. "We applaud Oklahomans for their eagerness to join us in this effort."

This event is held in conjunction with the Central United States Earthquake Consortium, local emergency managers, and the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. 

Individuals, schools and businesses are encouraged to participate in the ShakeOut exercise by registering online at www.shakeout.org/centralus. Registered participants will receive information about how to plan their drill.

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FEMA Preparedness Monthly Call #Prepared

The next FEMA Preparedness monthly call will be held Tuesday, February 7th at 3:00 ET / Noon PT. 


We're continuing the year with a series of FEMA Preparedness Calls that will be geared toward the needs and interests of our state and local partners. The calls serve as a resource for you to hear about new developments at the local, state, and national level, share promising practices, discuss relevant topics, and ask questions directly to each other and FEMA officials.
Last month nearly 300 state and local participants logged in! We hope you'll continue to keep in close touch.


Topics for this month's call include:

• Low Cost, Creative Options for Community Outreach featuring Jodi Simpson of the St. Clair, Michigan Citizen Corps Council
• Showcasing the White House Champions of Change event that recently honored 17 individuals and organizations doing innovative work to prepare their communities. 
• Messaging on Children and Burn Safety:  Safe Kids World Wide
• Overview of Free, Simple, and Effective Preparedness Activities, FEMA Course, IS 909 Community Preparedness: Implementing Simple Activities for Everyone

NOTE: Before participating on the call, you must be registered. Click the following link to register:
 https://connect.hsin.gov/readymonthly/event/registration_login.html

This link is available anytime leading up to the webinar.

If you have previously registered with the HSIN Connect system, you can use your current login information to access the webinar. If you already have a login identification and password, log in to the webinar using the link below:

 https://connect.hsin.gov/readymonthly/event/login.html.

If you have any questions regarding the call, please contact ready@fema.gov

Incident Command School

Two classes in the Incident Command System are being offered in Altus, according to emergency management officials.

ICS-300, Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents, is being offered February 7-8 at the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Headquarters from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

ICS-400, Advanced Incident Command System, is being offered February 21-22 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

Prerequisites for the courses are IS-100 and -200, offered online at http://training.fema.gov

Seating is limited.  Students are requested to register by email to register@osufst.org or calling 800-304-5727.

In the class, the students will learn how to apply incident command structures to events such as the ice storm of two years ago.

Instructors are certified by Oklahoma Homeland Security and continuing education hours for response professionals are available.

For information about this and other classes, visit http://osufst.org/calendar/main.php?view=upcoming&categoryfilter[]=22 for the Oklahoma State University Fire Service Training calendar.

For information about ICS, call Jerry Gibson at 5804820229 or Lloyd Colston at 5804812260.