DESOTO COUNTY, MS -- Are you prepared for an earthquake? Are you ready if one hit right now?
Emergency responders across the Mid-South say they are, but none of that makes any difference if you're not. They want every family to have a plan.
Desoto County, for example, has 300 emergency responders trained in what to do after an earthquake. But there are 163,000 people living there, and they all need to know how to care for themselves.
"I'm more worried about a tornado coming than an earthquake," says Delmar Caldwell.
"How can you really prepare for an earthquake?" asks Latarsha Mitchell.
Andy Mullis added, "It is out of my control so what are you going to do?"
What are you going to do?
That's a question emergency management agencies want you to be able to answer. Most people can't.
"Honestly, no I don't think about it," says Mullis. "It will happen sooner or later, but I don't think it will happen in our lifetime."
"Whether we have a seismic event or not, the threat exists," says Bob Nations, Shelby County EMA Director.
The Mid-South sits on the edge of the New Madrid Seismic zone, which was most active exactly 200 years ago.
"It hasn't happened in 200 yeas so I'm just hoping it doesn't happen in my lifetime," Mitchell says.
But it could. And if it does, people need to be ready.
"We need to make sure our citizens are prepared, our communities are prepared," says Robert Latham, with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. "There are things to do before something happens. That is what's going to save lives."
"Sit down and talk with your family," says Bobby Storey with DeSoto County Emergency Management Agency. "Tell your children, make sure you have a plan."
"We have stockpiles of equipment," Nations says. "The plans are extensive. None of that makes a difference if the partnership is weak."
On Tuesday, February 7th, nine states, including Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas, will take part in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut. It's one of the largest earthquake drills in the country.
