CUSEC – A partnership to mitigate disasters and save lives…

ShakeOut Earthquake Drill to take place in October
Following FEMA’s “National Preparedness Month” in September, individuals and communities throughout the Nation are encouraged to participate in the annual Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill. Held annually on the third Thursday of October, the ShakeOut International Day of Action is set for Thursday, October 17*. During the self-led drill, millions of people practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On”. For most people, in most situations, the recommended earthquake safety action is to:
- DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees;
- COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand, as you crawl for shelter under a nearby table or desk;
- HOLD ON to your shelter with one hand until shaking stops (remain on your knees and covering your head and neck with your other arm and hand).
According to CUSEC Executive Director Brian Blake, “Preparedness and safety events such as Great ShakeOut Drills and National Preparedness Month provide citizens a great opportunity to learn how to protect themselves, their families, and businesses against earthquakes and other disasters.”

The ShakeOut is free and open to the public, and participants include individuals, schools, businesses, local and state government agencies, and many other groups. To take part in the ShakeOut, individuals and organizations are asked to join the drill by registering to participate www.shakeout.org. Once registered, participants receive regular information on how to plan their drill and become better prepared for earthquakes and other disasters.

More than 15 million people participate in ShakeOut drills nationwide each year, with 30 million participants worldwide.

* Although millions will participate on October 17, you are welcome to participate any day of the year that works best for you. Your participation date can be noted on your ShakeOut registration form.

The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut is coordinated by CUSEC and our Member and Associate States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, and dozens of other partners. ShakeOut is coordinated globally by the Southern California Earthquake Center in Los Angeles, California.
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CUSEC Supporting Nationwide Community Lifelines Project
In partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) and G&H International Services, Inc. (G&H), CUSEC has been supporting a project to operationalize FEMA’s Community Lifelines construct through a tool known as the Community Lifelines Status System (CLSS). The CLSS is being developed as a no-cost tool for states, localities, tribal nations, and territories (SLTT) nationwide to assess and report on their own lifelines, which are, as FEMA describes, “the most fundamental services in the community that, when stabilized, enable all other aspects of society to function.”

Through the CLSS, users can create and update impact assessments and reports which are aligned with the eight FEMA Lifelines.

CLSS is a no-cost tool for states, localities, tribal nations, and territories.

In development since 2022, the CLSS is now available to SLTT and other emergency management agencies for testing. Brian Blake, CUSEC’s Executive Director, said of the CLSS project:

This project provides a great opportunity for CUSEC to help states, local governments, and others to quickly create a community impact assessment on their lifelines and easily report this information through the CLSS tool.”

CLSS assessment report showing the lifeline icons and their status.

G&H is developing the CLSS prototype which is hosted on CUSEC’s servers. CUSEC is supporting outreach and end-user support on the tool, not only to their Member and Associate States, but nationwide. Over 70 jurisdictions in 28 states at the local and state levels have attended virtual demonstration workshops and incorporated the tool into their own exercises. Within the CLSS, users are able to control and manage sharing capabilities and data-driven reporting.

G&H Senior Vice-President for Strategic Partnerships, Mike Dossett, said of the tool:

The CLSS expands on FEMA’s Community Lifelines concept and gives emergency managers a simple tool to conduct impact assessments and generate reports for their own use and to share with other agencies. The EMA has the ability to manage and customize their indicators in the tool to determine if that lifeline has minimal, moderate, or significant impacts and be able to share that information at a glance. It’s a tremendous opportunity for EOCs at all levels.”

Weighted indicators determine how each component in the Energy lifeline is assessed and given a red, yellow, or green score.

More information
- Emergency Managers can contact us at clss@cusec.org for more information about participating in exercises and testing.
- Regularly updated information is provided on the CLSS Hubsite.
- Interested persons can also subscribe to the CLSS Newsletter.
- DHS S&T Fact Sheet on the CLSS tool
Read more
February is Earthquake Awareness Month

As earthquakes continue to occur on a daily basis in the central U.S.—with nearly 2,000 small tremors per year—CUSEC and emergency management officials in our Member States remind citizens and communities about the earthquake risk by designating February as Earthquake Awareness Month. During the month of February, and into March, CUSEC and our states will be involved with several events (listed below, as they become available) intended to educate the public, private sector, first responders, and government officials.

February 1-28 – Earthquake Awareness Month
February 1 –Southeast Region Public-Private Partners Summit; Pearl, Mississippi
February 14 – Answering the Call: Post-Disaster Safety Evaluation Webinar
February 15 – CUSEC Board of Directors Meeting; Franklin, Tennessee
February 21 – Earthquake Resilience Workshop; Knoxville, Tennessee
February 22 – CUSEC Insurance Commissioners Workgroup Meeting; Virtual
February 23 – Tennessee SAVE Coalition ATC-20/45 Training; Nashville, Tennessee
February 24 – Missouri SAVE Coalition ATC-20/45 Training; St. Louis, Missouri

Also, February 7 is the anniversary of the last of the earthquakes that struck the central U.S. in the winter of 1811-12. According to the US Geological Survey:

This sequence of three very large earthquakes is usually referred to as the New Madrid earthquakes, after the Missouri town that was the largest settlement on the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri and Natchez, Mississippi. On the basis of the large area of damage (600,000 square kilometers), the widespread area of perceptibility (5,000,000 square kilometers), and the complex physiographic changes that occurred, the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812 rank as some of the largest in the United States since its settlement by Europeans.

While scientists say that there is a 7-10% probability of a reoccurrence of the 1811-12 earthquakes within any 50-year window, they also estimate that there is a 25-40% probability of a M6.0 or greater earthquake occurring in the central U.S. within the same period of time. About 200 earthquakes occur in the central U.S. every year-many of which go unnoticed. And while the primary focus remains on the NMSZ, it is not the only area of concern. Earthquakes are also occurring along the Wabash Valley and East Tennessee Seismic Zones and in Oklahoma, Kansas, Ohio, and Texas.

Read more

ShakeOut Earthquake Drill to take place in October
Following FEMA’s “National Preparedness Month” in September, individuals and communities throughout the Nation are encouraged to participate in the annual Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill. Held annually on the third Thursday of October, the ShakeOut International Day of Action is set for Thursday, October 17*. During the self-led drill, millions of people practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On”. For most people, in most situations, the recommended earthquake safety action is to:
- DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees;
- COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand, as you crawl for shelter under a nearby table or desk;
- HOLD ON to your shelter with one hand until shaking stops (remain on your knees and covering your head and neck with your other arm and hand).
According to CUSEC Executive Director Brian Blake, “Preparedness and safety events such as Great ShakeOut Drills and National Preparedness Month provide citizens a great opportunity to learn how to protect themselves, their families, and businesses against earthquakes and other disasters.”

The ShakeOut is free and open to the public, and participants include individuals, schools, businesses, local and state government agencies, and many other groups. To take part in the ShakeOut, individuals and organizations are asked to join the drill by registering to participate www.shakeout.org. Once registered, participants receive regular information on how to plan their drill and become better prepared for earthquakes and other disasters.

More than 15 million people participate in ShakeOut drills nationwide each year, with 30 million participants worldwide.

* Although millions will participate on October 17, you are welcome to participate any day of the year that works best for you. Your participation date can be noted on your ShakeOut registration form.

The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut is coordinated by CUSEC and our Member and Associate States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, and dozens of other partners. ShakeOut is coordinated globally by the Southern California Earthquake Center in Los Angeles, California.
Read more
CUSEC Supporting Nationwide Community Lifelines Project
In partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) and G&H International Services, Inc. (G&H), CUSEC has been supporting a project to operationalize FEMA’s Community Lifelines construct through a tool known as the Community Lifelines Status System (CLSS). The CLSS is being developed as a no-cost tool for states, localities, tribal nations, and territories (SLTT) nationwide to assess and report on their own lifelines, which are, as FEMA describes, “the most fundamental services in the community that, when stabilized, enable all other aspects of society to function.”

Through the CLSS, users can create and update impact assessments and reports which are aligned with the eight FEMA Lifelines.

CLSS is a no-cost tool for states, localities, tribal nations, and territories.

In development since 2022, the CLSS is now available to SLTT and other emergency management agencies for testing. Brian Blake, CUSEC’s Executive Director, said of the CLSS project:

This project provides a great opportunity for CUSEC to help states, local governments, and others to quickly create a community impact assessment on their lifelines and easily report this information through the CLSS tool.”

CLSS assessment report showing the lifeline icons and their status.

G&H is developing the CLSS prototype which is hosted on CUSEC’s servers. CUSEC is supporting outreach and end-user support on the tool, not only to their Member and Associate States, but nationwide. Over 70 jurisdictions in 28 states at the local and state levels have attended virtual demonstration workshops and incorporated the tool into their own exercises. Within the CLSS, users are able to control and manage sharing capabilities and data-driven reporting.

G&H Senior Vice-President for Strategic Partnerships, Mike Dossett, said of the tool:

The CLSS expands on FEMA’s Community Lifelines concept and gives emergency managers a simple tool to conduct impact assessments and generate reports for their own use and to share with other agencies. The EMA has the ability to manage and customize their indicators in the tool to determine if that lifeline has minimal, moderate, or significant impacts and be able to share that information at a glance. It’s a tremendous opportunity for EOCs at all levels.”

Weighted indicators determine how each component in the Energy lifeline is assessed and given a red, yellow, or green score.

More information
- Emergency Managers can contact us at clss@cusec.org for more information about participating in exercises and testing.
- Regularly updated information is provided on the CLSS Hubsite.
- Interested persons can also subscribe to the CLSS Newsletter.
- DHS S&T Fact Sheet on the CLSS tool
Read more
February is Earthquake Awareness Month

As earthquakes continue to occur on a daily basis in the central U.S.—with nearly 2,000 small tremors per year—CUSEC and emergency management officials in our Member States remind citizens and communities about the earthquake risk by designating February as Earthquake Awareness Month. During the month of February, and into March, CUSEC and our states will be involved with several events (listed below, as they become available) intended to educate the public, private sector, first responders, and government officials.

February 1-28 – Earthquake Awareness Month
February 1 –Southeast Region Public-Private Partners Summit; Pearl, Mississippi
February 14 – Answering the Call: Post-Disaster Safety Evaluation Webinar
February 15 – CUSEC Board of Directors Meeting; Franklin, Tennessee
February 21 – Earthquake Resilience Workshop; Knoxville, Tennessee
February 22 – CUSEC Insurance Commissioners Workgroup Meeting; Virtual
February 23 – Tennessee SAVE Coalition ATC-20/45 Training; Nashville, Tennessee
February 24 – Missouri SAVE Coalition ATC-20/45 Training; St. Louis, Missouri

Also, February 7 is the anniversary of the last of the earthquakes that struck the central U.S. in the winter of 1811-12. According to the US Geological Survey:

This sequence of three very large earthquakes is usually referred to as the New Madrid earthquakes, after the Missouri town that was the largest settlement on the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri and Natchez, Mississippi. On the basis of the large area of damage (600,000 square kilometers), the widespread area of perceptibility (5,000,000 square kilometers), and the complex physiographic changes that occurred, the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812 rank as some of the largest in the United States since its settlement by Europeans.

While scientists say that there is a 7-10% probability of a reoccurrence of the 1811-12 earthquakes within any 50-year window, they also estimate that there is a 25-40% probability of a M6.0 or greater earthquake occurring in the central U.S. within the same period of time. About 200 earthquakes occur in the central U.S. every year-many of which go unnoticed. And while the primary focus remains on the NMSZ, it is not the only area of concern. Earthquakes are also occurring along the Wabash Valley and East Tennessee Seismic Zones and in Oklahoma, Kansas, Ohio, and Texas.

Read more