(ATLANTA) – While people may be used to hearing about earthquakes in the western part of the United States, in recent years Georgia and the southeast region had some minor tremors too. To teach children how to protect themselves in an earthquake, planners from the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency visited Northwest Georgia schools and hosted educational events and a county-wide earthquake informational brochure contest.

“Our agency has done a great job with being proactive in the preparation of natural disasters, and preparing for earthquakes shouldn’t be any different,” said Woody Radcliffe, GEMA/HS Planning Manager. “As GEMA/HS partnered with the Great SouthEast ShakeOut campaign, we decided to give students a more hands-on approach with creating an earthquake brochure contest.”

Students got to showcase their creative skills by creating a tri-fold brochure that included pictures displaying a shakeout drill, what to do during the drill and what their Ready Kit contained. Winners of the brochure contest received a ShakeOut branded book bag with Ready items included, such as water, a first aid kit, a flashlight, a portable charger, blanket and much more. The names of the winners are below.

Harper McGahey - Westside Middle School
Dominic Garcia - Westside Middle School
Kourtney Sanchez - Westside Middle School
Adriana McKenzie - Lakeview Ft. Oglethorpe High School
Christina Collins - Lakeview Ft. Oglethorpe High School
Caroline Miller - Lakeview Ft. Oglethorpe High School
Karen Carroll - Ringgold Middle School
Rachel Holcomb - Ringgold Middle School
Hannah VanAllen - Ringgold Middle School


For more information on earthquake preparation in Georgia, visit gema.georgia.gov/plan-prepare/storms-disasters/earthquakes. For more information on the Great SouthEast ShakeOut, visit www.shakeout.org/southeast/.

 

As part of the Office of the Governor, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency collaborates with local, state and federal governments in partnership with private sector and non-governmental organizations to protect life and property against man-made and natural emergencies. GEMA/HS’s Ready Georgia website and preparedness campaign provides Georgians with the knowledge needed to effectively prepare for disasters. Go to gema.georgia.gov/plan-prepare/ready-georgia for information on developing a custom emergency plan and Ready kit.

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