Earthquakes can happen anywhere – just ask the folks in New England shaken up on Tuesday night after a tremor rattled that seemingly unlikely location – and Navy Federal Credit Union wants its employees to be ready.
The $50 billion, Virginia-based credit union will be asking many of its employees to drop and cover as Navy Federal participates Thursday in the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills event.
Navy Federal said its branches will remain open with just a short pause in member service as the drill is conducted at its West Coast corporate office and branches in California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Washington state.
The Tuesday night earthquake was magnitude 4.0, the U.S. Geological Survey said. On Aug. 23, 2011, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake rattled the Washington, D.C., area, which includes Navy Federal’s headquarters in Vienna, Va.
“Earthquakes can happen anywhere, anytime. And since our members are widespread, it makes sense for us to participate in a global event like this one which helps us improve our emergency plans and ensure that employees and members visiting our branches worldwide remain safe in the event of an earthquake,” said George Eichert, senior vice president, Administrative Services, for the 225-branch Navy Federal.
