At precisely 10:16 Thursday morning, Anita Jennings will be ducking under a sturdy library table to ride out an earthquake.
She won't be alone.
Jennings is one of about 2 million people expected to join in this year's Great SouthEast ShakeOut earthquake drill, part of an annual international event intended to teach people what to do should a real temblor strike.
As safety and security coordinator for the Newport News Public Library System, Jennings knows the importance of training for a worst-case scenario. The city system is among the many government agencies, faith-based groups, businesses, schools and individuals around Hampton Roads signed up to participate.
"Because when you're faced with that situation, that's not the time to figure out what you need to do," Jennings said Wednesday. "The weather events and natural disasters we're most accustomed to are tornadoes and hurricanes. They happen frequently enough that people have an idea what to do. An earthquake is different."
This region found out how different in 2011, when a 5.8-magnitude quake centered near Mineral in Louisa County shook the Peninsula and rattled states as far north as Maine. It was the most powerful quake ever recorded in Virginia and was felt by more people than any other in U.S. history, according to the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME).
Read more about Virginia Shake Out at ReadyVirginia.gov.
"We learned unexpectedly what the safe response to an earthquake is, and it's not to run outside," Jeff Stern, state coordinator of emergency management, said recently. "Since the Mineral earthquake, Virginia has participated every year in a multi-state earthquake drill so we all can practice and remember to drop, cover and hold on."
According to the state Department of Emergency Management, more than a million Virginians took part last year.
In the weeks leading up to a drill, participants are urged to consider what could happen in their area, should an earthquake hit, the better to plan their response. The ShakeOut website at http://www.shakeout.org/southeast offers guidance, including "drill broadcast" recordings to play during a drill.
On ShakeOut day, the basic guideline is to drop to the ground, take cover under a table or desk, and hold on for 60 seconds, or about the length of a major earthquake. During that minute, participants are supposed to consider what in their surroundings might constitute an immediate hazard.
Jennings, for instance, will be instructing patrons to steer clear of the tall library bookshelves.
"You don't want to stand next to something that might fall on you," Jennings said. "You don't want to run outside because you might be hit by falling bricks or shattering glass."
All four libraries in the Newport News system will be participating in the ShakeOut, as well as the technical services division and administrative offices.
Jennings said she plans to be on the main floor of the Pearl Bailey branch on Wickham Avenue, where she's supervising librarian, "showing them how to do it."
Participants are also supposed to consider what life would be like afterward, the better to figure out how to reduce losses and recover more quickly, devise a plan for communicating with family, friends and co-workers after an event, and assemble an emergency supply kit beforehand.
While earthquakes are uncommon in Virginia, they do occur. The DMME announced this summer it's creating a database to map quakes throughout the state.
The database will include information about past earthquakes and known geologic faults in Virginia, and serve as a resource for the public and government agencies.
Known earthquake-prone areas in the state are the Central Virginia, Eastern Tennessee and Giles County seismic zones. Most quakes recorded in Virginia have been magnitude 4.5 or less. For more information, go to http://www.dmme.virginia.gov and under "quick links" click on "Earthquakes in Virginia."
The database is being compiled with a $411,727 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and is expected to be completed in September 2016.
Dietrich can be reached by phone at 757-247-7892757-247-7892
How to ride out a quake
The Great ShakeOut website explains how to stay safe during an earthquake:
•Drop to the ground
•Take cover under a table or desk
•Hold on as if a major earthquake were happening for at least 60 seconds, and
•Look around to identify what could fall on you or get damaged during a real quake, to reduce or eliminate the risk.
Also recommended: Conduct a "hazard hunt" for items that might fall in your home, school or work environment; create a personal or family disaster-preparedness plan; and organize or refresh emergency supply kits.