Legislation Prompts Enhanced Earthquake Preparedness Plan

The deadly earthquake that wreaked havoc in Haiti earlier this year, killing thousands and destroying much of the country, served as a tragic, but eye-opening reminder of the devastation earthquakes can cause, and often with little or no warning. Though we likely do not think about a disaster the magnitude of Haiti's striking here, most Arkansans have always been mindful of the possibility a major earthquake could occur in our state.

During the Regular Session of 2009, the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 711, requiring the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) to enhance the state's earthquake preparedness program and increase earthquake awareness, especially for those living near the New Madrid seismic zone, which extends from Illinois, down into northeast Arkansas, and has a history of producing massive quakes.

A series of earthquakes in 1811 and 1812, registering as high as magnitude 7.5 (the Haiti event was magnitude 7.0) shook the area along the New Madrid zone so severely, the Mississippi River is said to have run backwards for a short period of time. Since then, more than 20 damaging quakes have occurred along the New Madrid zone, and overall, the state has remained seismically active.

In 1982, a series of earthquakes, unrelated to the New Madrid Fault, shook the area surrounding the town of Enola, in Faulkner County. Over the course of that year, residents felt more than ninety mild earthquakes in what came to be known as the Enola Swarm. A sudden swarm of minor earthquakes near the town of Magnet Cove in Hot Spring County in 2008 resulted in the state designating money from the General Improvement Fund to develop a seismic network, which is being used to detect and study seismic activity outside the New Madrid zone. Earthquakes have proven they can happen in any part of our state. According to the Arkansas Geological Survey, last year, residents around Greenbrier in Faulkner County felt more than a dozen earthquakes, all within just a few weeks. Already this year, 36 quakes have been recorded statewide (39 were recorded in all of 2009), and just with the last several days, more than 300 people felt a 2.5 magnitude earthquake in Benton County - the first quake ever recorded in that county. The Arkansas geologists who study seismic activity and emergency officials all say preparedness is key.

Since 2009, ADEM has made progress in working with other state and federal agencies to enhance the earthquake response plan. "I am pleased that Act 711 of 2009 has focused on bringing even more attention to the very serious potential for a major earthquake in our state. We at ADEM, along with our state partners and others outside of government, have been planning and preparing for such an event for years," said director of ADEM, David Maxwell. The plan not only focuses on promoting awareness, but on logistics, medical care, air operations, and search and rescue. For example, in the event of an earthquake in which local shelters were not big enough to house displaced citizens, ADEM has coordinated with the Department of Higher Education to use college and university campuses to provide emergency shelter. In addition, American Red Cross, Department of Human Services and ADEM are training staff to know how to run those shelters. The Department of Information Systems is working with ADEM to make sure agencies can still communicate with each other and perform disaster duties, even if their facilities are impacted.

These are just pieces of the intricate plan designed to keep our citizens safe should a major earthquake hit. However, officials say a major part of effective disaster response begins with public awareness. Just as you have a plan for your family during a tornado threat in our state, you should have an earthquake plan. Learn more at www.adem.arkansas.gov. To track earthquake activity recorded by the Arkansas Seismic Network, visit www.geology.arkansas.gov.



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