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EMA NEWS
EARTHQUAKE AWARENESS
(On February 7, 2012, at One of the most frightening and destructive phenomena of nature is a severe earthquake and its terrible aftereffects. An earthquake is the sudden, rapid shaking of the earth, caused by the breaking and shifting of subterranean rock as it releases strain that has accumulated over a long time.
For many years, the forces of plate tectonics have shaped the earth, as the huge plates that form the earth’s surface slowly move over, under and past each other. Sometimes, the movement is gradual. At other times, the plates are locked together, unable to release accumulated energy. When the accumulated energy grows strong enough, the plates break free. If the earthquake occurs in a populated area, it may cause many deaths and injuries and extensive property damage.
While earthquakes are sometimes believed to be a West Coast occurrence, there are actually 45 states and territories throughout the United States that are at moderate to high risk for earthquakes including the New Madrid fault line in Central U.S.
Know what to do before, during and after an earthquake. FEMA earthquake information here.
Use these links for more information about earthquakes and how you can implement earthquake preparedness in your emergency plans.
- Avoiding Earthquake Damage: A Checklist for Homeowners. Safety tips for before, during and after an earthquake.
- Preparedness in High-Rise Buildings. FEMA-76. Earthquake safety tips for high-rise dwellers.
- Family Earthquake Safety Home Hazard Hunt and Drill. FEMA-113. How to identify home hazards; how to conduct earthquake drills.
- Earthquake Preparedness: What Every Childcare Provider Should Know. FEMA 240. Publication form teachers and for presentation to children.
- How to Guides to Protect Your Property or Business from Earthquakes. Available online at http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=3260
US Geological Society Social Media
- USGS's social media information webpage is here.
- We follow @USGS, @USGSLive and @USGSted on Twitter.
- @USGS is the main Twitter feed for the USGS
- @USGALive is used for Tweeting LIVE EVENTS ONLY!
- @USGSted is the USGS's Twitter Earthquake Dispatch (TED) feed. This feed distributed notifications for earthquakes worldwide with magnitudes of 5.5 and above.
Related Websites
Find additional information on how to plan and prepare for an earthquake and learn about available resources by visiting the following websites:
- Alabama Earthquake Information
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- NOAA Watch
- American Red Cross
- The ShakeOut
- U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program
- Earthquake Country Alliance
On February 7, 2012, at
