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The V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency will conduct its annual Virgin Islands Great ShakeOut Drill on Thursday, October 20 at 10:20 a.m. The drill is held annually on the 3rd Thursday of October.
The Great ShakeOut is a nationwide, annual earthquake preparedness drill that the territory participates in along with the continental U.S. and other countries across the globe. On the day of the drill at 10:20 a.m., participants will be required to stop whatever they are doing to “DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON” as if there was a major earthquake occurring. Once they have stayed in the position for about 60 seconds, they will then evacuate from wherever they are located to the nearest designated safe zone.
According to VITEMA, the Virgin Islands are located at an active tectonic plate boundary between the North American plate and the northeast corner of the Caribbean plate. Major plate movements have and can cause large magnitude earthquakes which then can result in devastating tsunamis. Earthquakes are usually caused when tectonic plates suddenly break and there is rapid motion along a fault. This sudden release of energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground shake.
All on-line tsunami siren systems will be tested throughout the territory, and a TEST message will be sent out to residents who are currently registered with the ALERT VI Mass Notification System.
An Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) alert will be going out at the start of the drill to inform the territory that the drill is occurring. This will affect all residents and visitors with a cellular phone This will be a TEST, and it will explicitly state it is a TEST in the message.
As of 10/18/22, over 14,275 residents have registered to participate in this year’s exercise.
The ShakeOut drill is for everyone including schools, businesses, faith-based organizations, individuals, and families. COVID-19 protocols should be observed.
To learn more about how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On,” visit www.shakeout.org/usvi. VITEMA also has informational videos posted on our social media accounts to describe the drill and demonstrate the steps.
To register for the drill, go here and there will be a simple registration form to fill out.
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