Michelle Malkin » Homeland Security to Conduct Multi-State Earthquake Drill

Homeland Security to Conduct Multi-State Earthquake Drill

By Doug Powers • April 21, 2011 04:01 PM

**Written by Doug Powers

Scenario: An earthquake that’s an 8.2 on the Richter scale strikes middle America. Can agents with the Department of Homeland Security keep their balance well enough to still perform pat-downs on six year olds? We’ll know by the end of next Thursday.

The New Madrid fault is the focus of the Department of Homeland Security (the first two years of the administration were focused completely on Bush’s fault), and Janet Napolitano and Arne Duncan are overseeing an earthquake preparedness test next week that will focus mostly on schools in the midwest:

The Departments of Homeland Security and Education are reaching out to millions of people in central U.S. states to get them to participate in an earthquake preparedness drill.

In an event called the “Great Central U.S. Shake Out,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are reaching out to areas in the Midwest that could be impacted by an earthquake along the New Madrid fault line.

According to the event’s website, more than 2.5 million people have committed to taking part in Thursday’s drill in which participants will be told how to react in the event of an earthquake.

Participants are told to drop to the ground, take cover under something sturdy, such as a desk or a table, and hold on to it until the shaking stops.

“It’s critical that all members of the nation’s emergency management team — including the federal government, state, local and tribal officials, the private sector and the public — are prepared,” said Napolitano.

The DHS website informs people to “Drop, cover and hold on until the shaking stops.” That sounds more like advice from a 1955 sex-ed manual than earthquake preparedness information it took an entire department of government to come up with, but hey, whatever works.

Incidentally, the “drop & cover” procedure is the same one we’re supposed to use when a collision with the debt ceiling is imminent, but DHS won’t conduct a drill on that until next month.

You can learn more about earthquake preparedness by watching Napolitano’s “If you see something shaking, say something” video at all participating Walmart stores.

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe

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#101

On April 22nd, 2011 at 9:28 am, Agent of Chaos said:

And you know how they plan on duplicating the conditions of an earthquake?
Michelle Obama and Oprah are going to skip down the road hand in hand.
#102

On April 22nd, 2011 at 9:33 am, Rogue Cheddar said:

Michelle Obama and Oprah are going to skip down the road hand in hand.

The sooner the better.
#103

On April 22nd, 2011 at 10:09 am, rocketman said:

***
Clueless Department of (not much) Homeland Security head Janet Clownitano pulls another red herring out of her rear end and throws it in front of the American Pravda Media. As if an earthquake is our most pressing security threat!
***
After declaring that “The system worked” when the Butt Bomber was within seconds of blowing up an airliner over Detroit at Christmas!
***
Look at the early 1900′s San Francisco earthquake destruction and think about whether you could get out of a multi story building and get clear before it falls on you!
***
Janet would make a great circus clown. She is so loaded with WTF BS.
***
John Bibb
***
#104

On April 22nd, 2011 at 10:42 am, cabrerski said:

On April 22nd, 2011 at 4:37 am, ted said:
…I look at Janet Napolitano and all I can see is schoolyard bully Nelson Muntz.

Even animated, Nelson makes a better looking woman.
#105

On April 22nd, 2011 at 11:08 am, IowaWoman said:

Reading the headline I thought: A fire drill would be more important/current considering half the State of Texas is ablaze. Save money-use current crises as a “drill” send manpower to Texas.
Oh wait….Janet Napolitano
Nevermind *sigh*
#106

On April 22nd, 2011 at 3:40 pm, Wade said:

What the hell does this stupid plan have to do with Homeland Defense?
#107

On April 22nd, 2011 at 10:27 pm, plymouthacclaim said:

On April 22nd, 2011 at 3:40 pm, Wade said:
What the hell does this stupid plan have to do with Homeland Defense?

Terrorists/man-caused-disasterists and foreign narco-invaders are just a distraction. /sarc
#108

On April 24th, 2011 at 9:29 am, ChapBix said:

“Wait until the shaking stops”

If this is a drill and there is no shaking, how will we know when to release whatever it is we are holding onto? Is there going to be someone to blow a whistle to signal when the drill is over? Wouldn’t it be so ironic if there actually was an earthquake at that very time? Not that I want it since I am in the New Madrid earthquake zone, albeit about two hundred miles away from the likely epicenter.