February is Earthquake Awareness Month in the Central U.S.
February 2010 - This February marks another year in which at least five CUSEC Member States will be holding earthquake awareness activities.  Activities include -

Arkansas - Conferences, Trainings, News Releases, Proclamations, and more;
Kentucky -  Proclamations, Drills, News Releases, School Outreach Programs, and more;
Mississippi - Proclamations, Public Outreach, and more;
Missouri - School Outreach, Town Hall Meetings, Business Outreach Programs, and more;
Tennessee - Proclamations, Trainings, Media Events, and more;

Missouri and Kentucky will hold earthquake awareness events during the entire month of February, while Mississppi and Arkansas, and Tennessee will hold events during the first and second weeks of February, respectively.  Additionally, Illinois will hold earthquake awareness activities in April 2010.  

New Report on Potential NMSZ Earthquake Impacts Available
January 2010 - A new report from the Mid-America Earthquake Center is now available in print and online.  This report contains earthquake impact assessments for the CUSEC Member States due to earthquakes caused by the New Madrid Seismic Zone. It reports Phase II work from a major New Madrid Earthquakes Catastrophic Event Planning project funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The report gives damage estimates to the built environment, projected impacts on transportation and utility networks as well as possible social and economic consequences. It supersedes the report, “Impact of Earthquakes on the Central USA,” published in 2008. The analysis employs the best available and most reliable hazard and inventory data that has ever been assembled for the CUSEC Member States.

The work was undertaken by the MAE Center at the University of Illinois in partnership with the Center for Technology, Security and Policy at Virginia Tech University and the Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management at the George Washington University, with contributions from the Association of CUSEC State Geologists, US Army Corps of Engineers, IEM, FEMA, U.S. Geological Survey, and CUSEC.  Bound paper and CD copies are available from Nasiba Alrawi, IT Coordinator, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Haiti Earthquake Serves as Reminder for the Central U.S.
January 2010 - According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the island of Haiti was hit with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake at 3:53p.m.CST on Tuesday, January 12, 2010— the strongest earthquake to strike the island in more than 200 years. As the extent of devastation and casualties becomes clearer, an international disaster relief effort is underway to assist an estimated three million people in need of emergency aid. This catastrophic event should serve as a reminder to central U.S. residents that we also have our own earthquake hazard to address, and that individual and community preparedness is key in mitigating losses of life and property.

Knowing that at any moment a major earthquake can strike the central U.S., local, state and federal governments are taking steps to ensure a unified approach to response and recovery following a major seismic event in the region. Initiated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) Catastrophic Planning Initiative is a project to help increase national readiness for a  catastrophic earthquake in the NMSZ. This initiative includes participation from local, state and federal governments, academia, business, industry and volunteer organizations. Read more about preparing for earthquakes in the central U.S.