Residents of Missouri and eight other states in a major seismic zone will commemorate the 201st anniversary of the powerful New Madrid earthquakes with an emergency preparedness drill.
Thursday’s Great Central U.S. ShakeOut earthquake drill is part of a broader campaign during February, which has been designated Earthquake Awareness Month.
The events coincide with the anniversary of a series of quakes that rocked the central and southern U.S. between December 1811 and February 1812.
The earthquakes were centered in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, a 150-mile stretch of land between Memphis, Tenn., and St. Louis.
Emergency planners say earthquake preparation is crucial because the geologic disruptions occur without warning.
| The Associated Press