Hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, floods – we’re familiar with Mother Nature’s fury here in Mississippi. But earthquakes?

We can now add earthquakes to the list of potential disasters, though emergency management personnel will tell you that earthquakes have always been on that list. But until Saturday night’s small, shallow quakes in Madison County, most of us in the state had given little thought to them.

The two tremors caused no major damage or injuries, but they were plenty unsettling. If nothing else, insurance agents in the area were likely busy writing earthquake policies Monday morning.

Though the threat of an earthquake has always been present for some counties in North Mississippi, those of us in the central and southern parts of the state have assumed we were safe. Maybe we should re-assess that.

The New Madrid Seismic Zone quakes of 1811 and 1812 were felt as far south as the Gulf Coast. The banks of the Mississippi River caved in as far south as Vicksburg.

Below is a list of earthquake safety tips from the Miss. Emergency Management Agency. Though it’s unlikely you’ll ever need them, when it comes to natural disasters in this state, you just never know.

•  Drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture and hold on until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.

• Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.

• Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.

• Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported doorway.

• Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.

• Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.

• Do not use elevators.

• If outdoors, stay outdoors. Move away from buildings, streetlights and utility wires.

• If outdoors in the open, stay there until the shaking stops.