Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain says the first nationwide ShakeOut drill has reached the half way target with over 500,000 people now registered to take part. “There are now 63 days to go before the drill and we aim to grow this number to one million,” says Mr Tremain. “After the recent Taranaki earthquake there was a noticeable increase in registrations. This was the wake-up call many New Zealanders needed and motivated people to sign up for the emergency exercise. “A key part of the campaign has been involving children so it’s really good to see that half the enrolments are from preschools and schools. Children are great at spreading the message among family and friends that they need to drop, cover and hold when an earthquake strikes. “New Zealand ShakeOut is an important Civil Defence initiative and I would encourage everyone to take part. The reality is New Zealand is earthquake prone and we need to have our families prepared in the event of a large national disaster.” New Zealand ShakeOut aims to have one million people Drop, Cover and Hold at 9.26am on Wednesday September 26th 2012. The drill is supported by a dedicated website, www.getthru.govt.nz People can visit the website to get information on earthquake preparedness, and the ShakeOut drill in September.
