Governor hosts earthquake preparedness roundtable

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- A dozen local and state leaders recently attended a summit to discuss earthquake preparedness in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

The roundtable discussion, hosted by Gov. Jay Nixon, brought together local law enforcement, fire service, emergency management personnel and utility leaders, along with religious and non-profit volunteers, to outline their preparation efforts and to determine any assistance they may need from the state.

"We must ensure that we have the best coordinated response plan in place and are ready to implement it immediately," said Nixon. "History has shown that advance planning, coordination and communication between all levels of governments, emergency responders and faith and community leaders is essential in any disaster response."

While the region is unlikely to see an earthquake on the scale of the 1811-1812 quakes, Missouri state geologist Joe Gillman warned that the area is due, if not overdue, for a moderate sized earthquake measuring 6.0 to 6.5 on the Richter Scale.

"We are very concerned about particular infrastructures that are susceptible to liquefaction. ... That includes pipelines and infrastructure related to waste water treatment or power generation. In addition, one of our big concerns is the unreinforced masonry," said Gillman.

The likely destruction of many roads and bridges indicates that state and federal assistance would not arrive immediately, meaning that local responders must be equipped to handle the situation until additional help can reach the region.

"I think it'll be seven to ten days before we see any real help," said Drew Juden, Sikeston Public Safety Director. "We've got to have the resources here on the ground to sustain before help gets here."

While there's still a lot of work and preparation to be done, Dunklin County Sheriff Bob Holder said that the area is more prepared now than it was just a few years ago.

"The ice storm proved that bad things do happen in southeast Missouri," said Holder. "Our local assets are far more important than we ever realized--things that you see sitting around, different pieces of equipment, those are the things that you can go out and put your hands on and use to start the work."

The most important thing, however, said Holder, is keeping the lines of communication open between the various emergency response organizations.

"What I think we all have to be mindful of is that we need to continue to talk with each other before, during and after these situations take place," said Holder. "It's just a combined effort with the state and the county and the federal government--if we don't work together we'll never get anything done. If we work together, we can accomplish a lot of things."

Gov. Nixon signed a proclamation declaring February as Earthquake Awareness Month in Missouri. Throughout the month, the State Emergency Management Agency is participating in a series of events across the state designed to increase earthquake preparedness efforts by citizens, schools, businesses and non-profits. For more information on those events, visit www.sema.dps.mo.gov.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-888-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.