As part of Earthquake Preparedness Month, Illinois disaster officials are reminding residents that the threat of quakes is real, even for a Midwest state.
Illinois lies adjacent to the New Madrid and Wabash Valley seismic zones, so the state’s emergency management officials have planned a campaign with a website and 30-second TV ad to highlight the potential dangers and ways to avoid harm. They have also created a catch phrase, "Drop, cover and hold on" to help people in the event an earthquake hits.
The TV spot will tell people about the new website with tips on how to make homes safer should an earthquake strike.
“While we don’t experience major earthquakes with the same frequency as the Western United States, some of the most powerful earthquakes to ever occur in the continental U.S. happened along the New Madrid seismic zone about 200 years ago," James K. Joseph, director of Illinois Emergency Management Agency, said in a press release announcing the campaign.
Joseph said the tips offered in the video and website can help avoid injury and potentially minimize property damage.
The ad is viewable on the Ready Illinois website and will be shown on area TV stations.
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