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Earthquake preparedness urged in Midwest states | 01.31.2007 | 06:26:58 | Views: 6040 | ID: January 31 '07: From 1811 to 1812, three massive earthquakes struck along the New Madrid Seismic Zone in Missouri causing massive damage to villages and towns in an area hundreds of miles in diameter. To raise earthquake awareness in the area on the upcoming anniversary of the quakes on February 7, Disaster News reported local and state emergency management agencies and seismologists urging people to prepare themselves for another large temblor. Disaster News reported local Kentucky Emergency Management Agency officials coordinating their earthquake awareness campaign with the currently-ongoing emergency awareness week that "runs from January 29 to February 6." Oglesby said community building inspectors and structural engineers are being given tutorials called "Post-Earthquake Safety Evaluation of Buildings," while information on earthquake preparedness and response is being handled through town hall meetings with the public. An additional "Duck and Cover drill" will take place in area schools. In Missouri, Steve Besemer the Missouri Earthquake Program Manager told Disaster News the focus on earthquake response and preparedness is "a statewide issue and even beyond that. ... Something that would be a recurrence of the 1811 and 1812 quakes would have a widespread effect on the central U.S." Other states holding earthquake preparedness events include Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Earthquake preparedness efforts have been centralized through the Central United States Earthquake Consortium which seeks to coordinate response and preparedness activities as well as mitigate earthquake damage.
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