When the ground began rumbling Saturday night in Madison County, most people’s first instinct was to run outside, but emergency officials say that natural spark of curiosity could be deadly in event of major earthquake.

The U.S. Geological Survey said a 3.2-magnitude quake hit at 7:39 p.m. about 4 miles southwest of Canton, followed about 30 minutes later by a 3.0-magnitude quake.

“It was so fast and really nothing, but it was enough to make everybody go outside,” said Heather Mims, a Madison County resident who was at a family gathering in Lake Caroline during the quake.

Heading outside is the last thing anyone should do during an earthquake, said Warren County Emergency Manager John Elfer.

“The whole thought process is if you’re inside, you want to stay inside. Most people are killed in earthquakes by falling debris,” Elfer said. “The catch phrase is like stop drop and roll, but it’s stop, take cover and hold on. You want to drop the ground, cover your head and try to get under something study like a table.”

Though earthquakes in Mississippi are rare, Saturday’s earthquake was a reminder they can still happen here, even if the change of rumbling and shaking in Vicksburg and Warren County is slim.

“Our area is at somewhat of a limited risk. That primary risk is the new Madrid fault line that had major quakes in 1811 and 1812,” Elfer said.

Mims said she didn’t think earthquakes were possible in the Magnolia State until Saturday.

“It made me think of the earthquake in Nepal. There is no last second preparation like with a tornado or hurricane. You’re standing where you’re standing. I can see where it can be so dangerous because it happens with no warning,” she said.

Yet, there are plenty of prior preparations including having a standard emergency supply, Elfer said.

“It’s an all-hazards planning. It’s no different than a tornado or a hurricane. You always want to have enough supplies to keep you and your family for 72 hours,” he said.

Elfer also recommended formulating an earthquake preparedness plan and putting it into practice.

“We should incorporate it into our fire drills and tornado drills. It would be a good idea. Who knew Canton was going to have an earthquake,” Elfer said.

Building collapses are the main concern during a quake though it would take a quake much stronger than the one over the weekend in Canton to cause major damage, Vicksburg Fire Chief Charles Atkins said.

Atkins said Vicksburg Fire Department is prepare to respond to all types of disasters, including quakes, though the department does not train specifically on earthquake response.

“We will respond to the damage, and then the personal injuries, hoping we could be prepared to take to that portion of it,” he said. “Depending on how big it might be, it could overwhelm us.”

Of course, any major disaster could overwhelm any department, he added.

“We have people who had done building collapse and stabilization training,” Atkins said. “Even in that situation, we won’t have the necessarily equipment right away until we do a good size up of the situation. It would be involved with other agencies right off the bat, and they would come in and assist.”