UWA makes plans for Great Central U.S. ShakeOut drill

LIVINGSTON, Ala. — The University of West Alabama will participate in the Great Central US ShakeOut Earthquake Drill on Thursday Oct. 15 at 10:15 a.m.

As part of the on-campus drill, students, faculty, and staff will practice the “drop, cover, and hold on!” drill, as well as other aspects of the emergency plan. Part of this includes reviewing facilities and offices to locate furnishings that might fall and cause injury during an earthquake, and securing them for safety.

At UWA, the drill will begin with the sound of the campus emergency alarm and will resemble a monthly test of the emergency alert system.

Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills are an annual opportunity for people in homes, schools, and organizations to practice what to do during earthquakes and to improve preparedness.

UWA’s Office of Emergency Preparedness is coordinating the on-campus drill.  According to the staff, this is a chance for members of the University community to practice ways to protect themselves and prepare for the oftentimes catastrophic event. The goal, they say, is to prevent an earthquake from being a catastrophic event for the community by means of practicing safety.

More than 34 million people will participate in the ShakeOut Earthquake Drill on Oct. 15, and 2.8 million of those participants are from The Great Central US ShakeOut region.

For more information on the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, visit www.shakeout.org/centralus. To learn more about UWA’s participation, contact the Office of Emergency Preparedness at 205-652-5563.