Arkansas set to Install Seismic Monitoring Stations
December 2008 - Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe has authorized the State to purchase six broadband seismic monitors that will detect and locate
earthquake activity throughout Arkansas. The Arkansas Geological Survey will place the monitors throughout the
state to improve measuring capabilities in areas between existing
stations around the New Madrid Seismic Zone in Northeast Arkansas and
those in Oklahoma. "Although Arkansans may not think about earthquakes often, our
proximity to the New Madrid zone makes them a realistic concern for our
State," Governor Beebe said. "Our emergency responders already train
and prepare for earthquakes. These seismic monitors will give us better
information about the small tremors we experience now and help us
prepare for stronger earthquakes that could impact Arkansas in the
future." The earthquake data collected by the new monitors will be shared with
researchers and the public on a regular basis. The Geological Survey
will also post updated maps of recent seismic activity online. Adapted from the Official News Release
Special Session at SSA on Mt. Carmel Earthquake
December
2008 - There will be a special session at the April 2009 Seismological
Society of America Meeting entitled "M5.2 Mt. Carmel, Illinois,
Earthquake, 18 April 2008". The 18 April 2008 M5.2 Mt. Carmel
earthquake is the most densely recorded moderate-sized earthquake to
date in the Eastern U.S. It is also the largest earthquake to strike
the central U.S. in 40 years. The main event and 35 aftershocks were
widely recorded by ANSS seismographs across the central U.S. offering
an opportunity to study earthquake ground motions having a variety of
site conditions including the thick soils of the Mississippi Embayment.
Based on USGS Did You Feel It reports the earthquake was widely felt up
to 500 km from the epicenter including the cities of Chicago, IL,
Indianapolis, IN, Lexington, KY, Atlanta, GA, Memphis, TN, and St.
Louis, MO. This session seeks contributions on source rupture models,
geodetic observations, fault plane characterization from aftershocks,
site response and basin effects, attenuation, and shaking effects to
the built environment and free-field related to this earthquake.
Information about the meeting and abstract submission can be found at the SSA Website: http://www.seismosoc.org/meetings/2009/specialsessions.php
New Report on Impact of Earthquakes in the
Central United States
November 2008 - The Mid-America Earthquake (MAE) Center at the University of
Illinois announces the release of its report entitled ‘Impact of Earthquakes on
the Central USA’. The report is the one of the products of the largest
earthquake consequence assessment project in United States history, the New Madrid Seismic Zone
Catastrophic Planning Project. The report contains earthquake impact
assessments for the eight CUSEC Member States, and lists damage and
other consequences to the built environment as well as social and economic
impacts. The earthquake scenarios used represent the New Madrid, the
Wabash Valley, and East Tennessee seismic zones. The analysis employs new
and more reliable hazard and inventory data that has not been used before.
NEHRP Strategic Plan Now Available Online October 2008 - The 2009-20013 Strategic Plan of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program is now available online at www.nehrp.gov. The plan represents more than two years of work and effort NEHRP and the strategic planning committee. Following the release of the draft Plan in April 2008, the NEHRP
Secretariat opened a 30-day public comment period, during which
organizations and individuals could download the draft Plan from the
NEHRP web site, review it, and then provide thoughts and comments on it. The
public comment period closed on May 9, 2008. By the end of the comment
period, NEHRP received 118 comments from 35 individuals and
organizations. Click here to download a copy of the Strategic Plan.
South Carolina Earthquake Guide Available September 2008 - The South Carolina Emergency Management Division
has released an eight page earthquake guide entitled "South Carolina
Earthquake Guide" recently. The guide has information on earthquakes
in South Carolina, historical earthquake information, and emergency
preparedness information for pet owners, among other topics. Click
here to download a copy of the guide (approx. 2MB file size).
CUSEC Launches new Website
September 2008 - We are pleased to announce the launch of the latest version of the CUSEC website. Our new site has been redesigned from the ground up to better serve our visitors. It has been organized in a way that will offer easy to find information on earthquakes in the central US, earthquake safety, current programs in the central U.S., CUSEC publications, and more. New Features include -
- Fully Searchable Site
- Updated Publications Library
- Easy to Navigate Menu System
- CSS Styling for better compliance across browsers
- Updated information & safety tips
- and Much, Much, More...
Please take a moment to look around the website and we welcome any feedback you may have.
September is National Preparedness Month September 2008 - According to Ready.gov, September is National Preparedness Month in the United States. Throughout the month, there are initiatives across the country that encourage citizens to be prepared for both earthquakes and other natural or manmade disasters. Ready.gov is supported by the United States Department of Homeland Security and encourages citizens to 1) Get a Kit 2) Make a Plan and 3) Be informed about different hazards that could impact you. More information on National Preparedenss Month can be found at - http://www.ready.gov
CUSEC Welcomes three new Corporate Sponsors in 2008 August 2008 - CUSEC is pleased to announce three new corporate sponsors in 2008. Worksafe Technologies and Ridg-U-Rak, Inc. both offer seismic mitigation products and services that reduce damages associated with earthquakes. The Murray State University - Center for Telecommunications Systems Management brings another higher education/academic liasion to CUSEC. Worksafe Technologies is based in California, and has received accolades for their innovative Iso-Base product in recent years. Ridg-U-Rak has recently released their Seismic System for Storage Racks and was recipient of the 2008 Award in Excellence from the National Earthquake Conference. We are pleased to announce their support of CUSEC and our mission of protecting lives and property from disasters. For information on becoming a CUSEC Corporate Sponsor, click here.
NEHRP Appoints Central U.S. Representative to Advisory Committee
August 2008 - Three new Board Members were appointed to the NEHRP Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction (ACEHR). One of the new members, Dr. James Beavers, represents the central United States perspective on the panel. CUSEC would like to extend congratulations to Dr. Beavers for his nomination to the panel. He has long been an advocate for increasing earthquake awareness in the central U.S. Read more about the panel here.
Dr. Beavers is a structural engineer who has specialized in natural and technological hazards during more than 35 years as a university professor, private consultant, corporate manager, author, and editor. He formerly served as deputy director of the Mid-America Earthquake Center, as vice president for MS Technology's Natural and Technological Hazards Services Division, as director of the Center for Natural Phenomena Engineering at Martin Marietta Energy Systems, and as chairman of the board of directors for the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC). Dr. Beavers has served on more than 80 national committees, authored or coauthored more than 200 papers, and participated in professional exchange programs with Russia, China, India, and Australia. In 2007, he received the Duke Lifeline Earthquake Engineering Award from ASCE.
Kentucky Names New Director
July 2008 - Gov. Steven L. Beshear today announced the appointment of John W. Heltzel of Lawrenceburg as Executive Director of Kentucky's Division of Emergency Management (KyEM). Heltzel will begin his new duties immediately, overseeing the daily operation of the state's emergency management agency. Most recently the president and managing partner of CyberDefenses, Inc., an Austin, Texas-based computer security firm, and a Brigadier General in the Kentucky Army National Guard, Heltzel was chief information officer for the Department of Military Affairs and Kentucky National Guard from 1984 to 2006. He also previously served in the Division of Emergency Management as one the agency's initial Staff Duty Officers where he directly assisted in development of the first duty officer handbook and establishment of internal standing operating procedures. Read the full press release here.
Illinois Seismic Safety Task Force Created
May 2008 - Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich recently announced the formation of the Illinois Seismic Safety Task Force (SSTF). The Task Force was created after the recent April 18, 2008 Mt. Carmel 5.2M earthquake that shook much of southern Illinois and was felt in as many as 18 states. The Task Force will work to enhance mitigation measures in Illinois so homeowners and businesses can be better protected from damaging earthquakes. Illinois joins Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee as states with seismic commissions in the CUSEC Member States. Read the Official Press Release Here...
NEHRP Strategic Plan Out for Public Review
April 2008 - The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Interagency Coordinating Committee - FEMA, NIST, NSF and USGS - has approved the public release of the draft updated NEHRP Strategic Plan, for public review and comment. The draft plan is now available on the NEHRP web site: http://www.nehrp.gov/plans/publiccomment.htm The NEHRP agencies invite you to review the plan and provide them with any comments you might have, no later than May 9, 2008. Following the closure of this public comment period, the NEHRP agencies will consider what edits might be appropriate for the plan prior to its adoption and complete the strategic planning process.
National Earthquake Conference Approaching
March 2008 - The 2008 National Earthquake Conference is quickly approaching. This conferenc is being held in Seattle, Washington on April 22-26, 2008. The conference is chaired by the four national earthquake and emergency consortia groups (NESEC, CUSEC, WSSPC, and CREW) funded by FEMA under the National Earthquake Program, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and the Emergency Preparedness for Industry and Commerce Council (EPICC) of British Columbia, Canada. These four consortia along with EERI and EPICC, united to organize a national conference, to address the urgent problem of earthquake risk reduction. The conference is funded and supported by DHS/FEMA and USGS. For more information on the conference, visit www.earthquakeconference.org.
Disaster Medicine 101
February 2008 - The Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC), in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is presenting a one-day class titled “Disaster Medicine 101: Post-Earthquake Public Health and Medical Issues in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.” It will be held April 10, 2008, in Sikeston, MO at the Clinton Building. The class is a one-day general overview of public health concepts related to the earthquake threat in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. It will be open to first responders, medical professionals, public health officials, emergency managers, and others concerned with public health issues following an earthquake. Class space is limited, so sign up today to ensure your spot!
New State Director Appointed in Alabama
Janaury 2008 - Alabama Governor Bob R. Riley appointed Brock Long as State Director of Alabama Emergency Management Agency in late January. Long comes to Alabama after working at the state and federal levels in hurricane planning and response. “Alabama is fortunate to be gaining someone with Brock’s level of experience, talent and energy,” said Governor Riley Long replaces acting Director John James who was appointed after Bruce Baughman retired after four and half years of service as State Director. James has served in local and state emergency management for nearly 20 years, and CUSEC wishes him well. As a Member State of CUSEC, Director Long will serve as a voting member of the CUSEC Board of Directors. Visit http://ema.alabama.gov to read more about Albabma EMA.
