Major Earthquake Drill Coming Thursday Across Virginia

VIRGINIA — More than 11 years after the Virginia earthquake that was felt by people up and down the East Coast, governments, schools and residents in Virginia will participate in the Great Southeast ShakeOut Earthquake Drill on Thursday.

The Great Southeast Shakeout Earthquake Drill is part of International ShakeOut Day on Oct. 20, at 10:20 a.m. local time, when millions of people worldwide prepare for the possibility of an earthquake.

As of Wednesday, more than 1 million people were registered to participate in the 2022 Great Southeast ShakeOut Drill in Virginia.

Participation in the drill has grown since Virginia and much of the East Coast experienced an earthquake at 1:51 p.m. on Aug. 23, 2011. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter of the earthquake was near Mineral in Louisa County, Virginia.

With a magnitude of 5.8, the quake was the largest Virginia earthquake recorded by seismometers. More than 80 aftershocks were reported by the USGS, and the area is currently being monitored by geophysicists from several leading science institutions.

The USGS says the August 2011 earthquake was the most widely-felt earthquake in U.S. history. The quake caused more than $200 million in damage.

Among local governments participating in the Great Southeast Shakeout Earthquake Drill is Fairfax County, which is encouraging its agencies to participate in the drill to simulate the actions employees would take in the event of an earthquake.

At 10:20 a.m., employees who participate in the drill should immediately protect themselves with the “drop, cover and hold on” method. Get under a desk or table and away from objects or furniture that could fall on you.

The 5.8-magnitude 2011 quake rattled Fairfax County and the D.C. area, causing damage to many buildings and homes. No deaths or serious injuries were reported. “For a geologist, the 2011 earthquake was unequivocally one of the most geologically and historically significant moments in the Commonwealth,” Virginia state geologist David Spears said.

More than 400 K-12 schools and districts are registered to participate in the 2022 SouthEast ShakeOut in Virginia, with a total of 757,549 participants. In Arlington, three schools — Campbell Elementary School, Randolph Elementary School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School — had registered to participate in the drill.

Several schools in Prince William and Loudoun counties will also be participating in the drill on Thursday.

In Fredericksburg, the University of Mary Washington will activate its UMW Alerts and test its emergency notification system as part of the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill on Thursday at 10:20 a.m. The test may include text messages, emails, desktop alerts, phone calls and sirens or messages from the area warning system on campus.

Students, faculty and staff are automatically enrolled in UMW Alerts with contact information registered with the University, including UMW email addresses and individual cell phone numbers.

The Great SouthEast ShakeOut is supported by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.