Missouri's+plans

This is because thousands of individual companies and key industries such as banking, finance and insurance, rely heavily on modern technology which includes computers and automatic data processing systems. Unfortunately, without proper precautions, these sophisticated systems are all too vulnerable to heavy damage in the event of a severe earthquake, officials for the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), in Jefferson City, Missouri advise. “As we have reaped the benefits of technology, we have become a nation at risk,” []

The New Madrid Fault, which crosses through the Bootheel in Southeast Missouri, is acknowledged by earthquake scientists as the most active seismic zone east of the Rocky Mountains. Scientists have defined the location of the New Madrid zone as extending from about 25 miles northwest of Memphis to the Reelfoot Lake area in western Tennessee where it turns toward New Madrid, Missouri and then continues northwest to southern Illinois. It is thought to be up to 40 miles wide and about 200 miles long. Unlike California’s famous San Andreas Fault, New Madrid’s fault line cannot be seen by the naked eye since it is buried as much as 25 miles deep. []

The potential for future large earthquakes in the NMSZ exists and potential damage to the State of Missouri’s transportation infrastructure is high. Missouri began designing bridges for seismically induced forces in 1990. This paper will briefly describe: the provisions used to design bridges for seismic forces, a typical retrofit on a routine bridge and the Missouri

During the functional exercise, simulations cover six operational periods: three based on response operations and three based on recovery activities. The exercise focuses on the emergency management coordination, automatic response functions, communications, planning, operations, logistics, and the integration of federal response partners necessary to save lives, property, and the state’s welfare following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake. [] n 2011, the bicentennial of the great New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812, Missourians will take part in important and unprecedented earthquake preparedness events, including a statewide “ShakeOut” drill on April 28 and a five-day training exercise focused on a coordinated local, state and federal response to a 7.7 magnitude New Madrid Seismic Zone earthquake, May 16-20. It all begins in February. []