RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (January 15, 2008)---Ninety individuals from a variety of organizations and backgrounds came to the Lake Point Conference Center at Arkansas Tech University on Monday to share information and ideas about the earthquake threat posed by the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
“The conference was a big success, both in the number of participants and the amount of good information that was shared,” said Dr. Mary Ann Rollans, dean of the Arkansas Tech School of Community Education. “This event was a perfect example of how our Emergency Administration and Management (EAM) Department can provide current technology, research, resources and outreach to help the public and private sectors better prepare for and respond to future disasters such as earthquakes.”
Among the speakers on Monday were Michel Pawlowski and Gary Jones of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Scott Ausbrooks and Erica Doerr of the Arkansas Geological Survey, Jim Wilkinson of the Central United States Earthquake Consortium, Dr. Amr Elnashai of the Mid-America Earthquake Center, Dr. Theresa Jefferson of George Washington University, Ed Leachman of the Arkansas Tech EAM Department and David Maxwell, who serves as director of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.
“This was a different audience than we have spoken to in the past,” said Maxwell. “Arkansas Tech took the lead on bringing people in, and it has been a great opportunity to learn more about what resources are available.
“The New Madrid Seismic Zone produced some of the largest earthquakes ever felt on the North American continent in 1811 and 1812, and they did a tremendous amount of damage,” continued Maxwell. “The difference is there weren’t very many people here in 1811 and 1812. Now, due to the number of people in this area and the region’s importance to the economy, the effects of an earthquake (on the New Madrid Seismic Zone) would be felt all over the country.”
The conference was sponsored by the Mid-America Earthquake Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management at George Washington University.
The Arkansas Tech EAM Department hosted the conference, which was originally limited to the first 50 registrants but had to be expanded due to the amount of interest.
“First and foremost, we were extremely pleased over the attendance and participation,” said Leachman, head of the Arkansas Tech EAM Department. “Our goal was to attract a representative cross section of business, industry, academia and government in Arkansas, and we achieved that.
“In addition, we assembled an outstanding group of subject matter experts on the science related to the New Madrid Seismic Zone and the planning, response and recovery activities necessary to respond to its associated threat,” continued Leachman. “That group was very effective in raising the awareness and understanding of the attendees. I believe the conference attendees now have a good understanding of what the New Madrid Seismic Zone earthquake threat means to them, the planning actions they should initiate and the resources available to them at the federal, state and local levels.”
