CDP participates in Great American ShakeOut

Employees and students at FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) ducked beneath desks and tables this morning, practicing their response in the event of an earthquake.

Though the CDP, located in Anniston, Alabama, is not located in the hazard zone for this year’s Great American ShakeOut exercise, students come to the center from throughout the nation and the CDP’s federal employees may deploy to earthquake-prone areas in response to a disaster. Therefore, the facility chose to engage in the national exercise.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, about 2,000 seismic events with a magnitude greater than 2.5 have occurred in the continental U.S. so far this year. The highest magnitude event was a 4.9 magnitude earthquake in New Mexico.

More than 18 million U.S. participants were registered for this year’s Great American ShakeOut. The event was held as part of International ShakeOut Day, which is the third Thursday of October.