Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Over 50,000 Montanans Registered for Statewide Earthquake Drill


Over 50,000 Montanans Registered for Statewide Earthquake Drill

Contact: Katie Gallagher (406) 444-1718
For Immediate Release
October 2, 2013

Media Advisory
Over 50,000 Montanans Registered for 2013 Rocky Mountain ShakeOut

HELENA, MT- On October 23, 2013 at 10:23AM Montanans across the state will dropcover, and hold on as part of the 2013 Rocky Mountain ShakeOut, Montana’s first statewide earthquake drill. Montana is a seismically active state, which means that an earthquake could happen at any time. The purpose of the ShakeOut is to educate all Montanans on the appropriate actions to take to ensure safety when the ground starts to shake.

Over 50,000 Montanans have already signed-up to participate in the drill, joining over 21 million people across the globe. Registrants come from Ekalaka to Eureka, and include individuals in public and private K-12 schools, private businesses, state agencies, and more. A growing list of Montana participants can be found at www.shakeout.org/rockymountain.

The 2013 Rocky Mountain ShakeOut is organized by the State of Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, Governor’s Office of Community Service, American Red Cross of Montana, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, and local partners across the state. The drill is supported by the Earthquake Country Alliance, whose members include the U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the American Red Cross.
The following are experts in earthquake preparedness/mitigation in Montana and are available for interview:
Michael Stickney, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (Butte)
Michael Stickney grew up in Missoula and received a B.A. in 1978 and a M.A. in 1980, both in geology from the University of Montana. He received an honorary PhD from Montana State University in 2004.  In 1982, Mike was appointed Director of the Earthquake Studies Office and promoted to senior research geologist in 2002. He is a member of Seismological Society of America, Western States Seismic Policy Council, and currently serves as president of the Tobacco Root Geologic Society. Mike has written extensively on seismic related topics including tectonics, seismic hazard, and historic earthquakes of the northern Rocky Mountains.

Paul Spengler, Lewis and Clark County Disaster and Emergency Services(Helena)
Paul Spengler is the Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator for Lewis and Clark County. He has been conducting community earthquake drills in the Helena area for over thirty years, making Lewis and Clark County a leader in the state for earthquake awareness and preparedness. He has successfully engaged schools, private businesses, and city and county facilities.

Kent Atwood, State of Montana Disaster and Emergency Services(Helena)
Kent Atwood is the State Hazard Mitigation Officer at the State of Montana Disaster and Emergency Services. He is has knowledge of past and current seismic retrofit projects in Montana and is an expert is earthquake hazard mitigation.   
EMAILkatwood@mt.gov  

For questions or additional information, contact Katie Gallagher, Governor’s Office of Community Service, at 444-1718 or via email atkgallagher@mt.gov       
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Katie Gallagher
Grant Coordinator
Governor’s Office of Community Service

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