MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC-TV) – If the big earthquake that's been predicted ever does hit Memphis, students at several Mid-South elementary schools are ready thanks to what they learned during Tuesday's Great ShakeOut.
At Orleans Elementary, and hundreds of other schools around the country, students scrambled to get under their desk, seconds after the school's principal set off sound effects in the public address system that simulated an earthquake.
"We want to do it to make sure that our children are prepared that our staff is prepared," said principal Brenda Thompson.
The drill at Orleans was part of the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut. The goal is to make sure students know what to do when an earthquake hits. And it wasn't the first drill. Students start practicing for earthquakes as early as kindergarten.
Staff members ran to each classroom, making sure students got under their seats and followed the correct procedures during the drill.
And there is a good reason for all the practice, scientists predict that a major earthquake will hit the Mid-South in the next 50 years.
Officials from the local emergency management office and from FEMA in Washington were at Orleans and saw first hand how well students have mastered the drill...
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If the big earthquake that's been predicted ever does hit Memphis, students at several Mid-South elementary schools are ready thanks to what they learned during Tuesday's Great ShakeOut.
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