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Earthquake Drill Different from Others
More than a 2 million people took part in Tuesday's earthquake drill across 9 midwestern states.

That's according to the official website of the 'The Great Central U-S Shake Out." In Illinois, Knox County Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Simkins says over 400,000 people "dropped, covered, and held on" to simulate how to react to an earthquake.

He tells WGIL it's likely Tuesday's earthquake drill wasn't a one time deal.

"Every so often they'll be sending this out to keep people advised," Simkins said. "Again, it's not like every spring we have weather stuff related to tornadoes and getting people prepared, and roundabout in November we get to start telling you about winter weather."

"That's the thing with earthquakes, it's not really seasonal. It's something that can happen at any time with no warning and you have to be on top of it."

Simkins says the federal and collective state emergency management agencies used the drill to ensure everyone is aware of the dangers associated with earthquakes.

He says students among the Galesburg, ROWVA, and Knoxville school districts participated. Some businesses even had their employees take cover.
02 07 12 by Newsroom
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