04/21/11  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region V congratulates the state of Indiana for outstanding participation in the first-ever Great Central U.S. ShakeOut today, April 19. More than 600,000 Hoosiers registered to Drop, Cover and Hold On.

“I want to commend the Indiana Department of Homeland Security for working together with the Central United States Earthquake Consortium to recruit the most participants of any state to-date for this very important and historic drill,” said Andrew Velasquez III, FEMA Region V administrator. “I also applaud the state for involving the whole community including businesses, schools, faith-based groups and individuals, on what to do before, during and after an earthquake.”

ShakeOut was planned and coordinated by the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium and its member and associate states, FEMA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and dozens of other partners long before the March earthquake in Japan. Still, recent events throughout the world, including the devastating earthquakes in New Zealand, Haiti and Chile, serve as powerful examples of how destructive these no notice events can be.

“While earthquakes cannot be predicted, preparedness drills, such as the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, can help people to focus on being better prepared, not just for earthquakes, but for all types of hazards. Better preparedness helps to build more resilient communities which can mean the difference between life and death,” said Velasquez.

The remaining 10 states in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee, will hold their ShakeOut on April 28 at 10:15 a.m. CDT. More than 1.5 million individuals, schools, businesses, governments, and other organizations across these states will exercise three simple steps:

• DROP to the ground

• Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and

• HOLD ON to it until the shaking stops.

Anyone can register for the ShakeOut at www.shakeout.org/centralus and visit www.ready.gov for important earthquake preparedness tips.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.