Tennessee will be among 14 central and southern U.S. states coordinating the sixth annual Great Central U.S. ShakeOut drill to raise awareness about the importance of catastrophic earthquake preparedness. The event will take place Thursday, Oct. 20^th. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is working currently to register businesses, communities, individuals, organizations, and schools for the ShakeOut drill so they can learn how to prevent damage and injuries in the event of a catastrophic earthquake. TEMA Officials say that a major earthquake is Tennessee’s top catastrophic event. During the ShakeOut drill, participants will practice the Drop, Cover, and Hold On technique, which is the proper self-protection measure in an earthquake. To date, more than 245,000 Tennessee participants are registered for the ShakeOut. The ShakeOut is free and open-to-the-public. To participate in the ShakeOut, individuals and organizations can register at www.shakeout.org/centralus. Once registered, participants receive regular information on how to plan their drill and become better prepared for earthquakes and other disasters. TEMA is coordinating the ShakeOut in Tennessee with the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium and its Member and Associate States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, and dozens of other partners.