Earthquake drill helps Las Cruces, Doña Ana get offices up to date on evacuation protocols

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- Las Cruces is not known for its earthquakes. But that didn't stop city officials from participating in the 'Great American ShakeOut' Thursday.

The shakeout is a nationwide initiative to update offices on earthquake evacuation protocols. It happens every year on the third Thursday of October.

Mayor Ken Miyagishima, the city council, and other city hall employees participated in the earthquake drill.

"It just goes down to our emergency preparedness, as we know there's a lot of things that occur in any community across the United States right now, and we want to make sure we keep our citizens and our employees safe," Las Cruces Fire Department Chief, Jason Smith.

City hall was not alone today; Doña Ana Community College and Las Cruces public schools also participated.