Statewide Earthquake Drill Planned For Oct. 15

RALEIGH — North Carolina emergency management officials are encouraging residents to take part in the Great Southeast ShakeOut earthquake drill Thursday, Oct. 15.

The drill is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. and is designed to give people a chance to practice what to do if an earthquake strikes.

Emergency officials recommend three basic steps: drop to your hands and knees, cover your head and neck and hold on until the shaking stops.

If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, residents should crawl underneath it for protection. If no shelter is available, they should move next to an interior wall and protect their head and neck.

While damaging earthquakes are not common in North Carolina, emergency officials said they have occurred throughout the state’s history.

North Carolina has experienced 23 damaging earthquakes between 1735 and 2026.

Among the most significant were earthquakes near Wilkesboro in 1861, Charleston, South Carolina, in 1886, Asheville in 1916, Mitchell County in 1926 and Sparta in 2020.

The most recent major event was a magnitude 5.1 earthquake near Sparta in Alleghany County on Aug. 9, 2020.

That earthquake resulted in more than 550 reports of damage to homes and commercial buildings across the county.

Officials said earthquakes felt in North Carolina do not always originate within the state. Activity can also come from seismic zones in eastern Tennessee, Charleston, Giles County and central Virginia, as well as the New Madrid seismic zone.

The greatest earthquake threat in North Carolina is generally in the mountains, particularly along the Blue Ridge Escarpment.

Nearly one million people are expected to participate in this year’s Great Southeast ShakeOut.