Kennett to hold town hall meeting covering

Coinciding with February being earthquake awareness month, a "Get Your Home Ready for Earthquakes" town hall meeting will be hosted in Kennett on February 11, which will be offered through the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) and co-hosted by the City of Kennett State Emergency Management Agency, the Missouri Geological Survey, and the Missouri Seismic Safety Commission.

Representatives of CUSEC noted that the recent disaster in Haiti serves as a reminder of the threat to the central U.S.

The representatives added that even during smaller earthquakes contents of a home can be susceptible to damage if property is not secured.

"By using sound, cost effective mitigation techniques, your potential losses can be reduced, and in some cases eliminated," the representatives said.

The seminar is a free two-hour town hall style meeting focused on the basic principles of disaster preparedness and non-structural earthquake mitigation for homeowners, according to CUSEC representatives.

The representatives added that the seminars are free and open to the public and all ages are encouraged to attend.

No prior earthquake knowledge is required for the seminar, which will cover earthquake hazard overview, earthquake preparedness tips, do-it-yourself mitigation projects, and a question and answer section, according to the representatives.

State Emergency Management Agency Director, Paul D. Parmenter said, "Every year there are about 200 minor earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. This two-hour workshop demonstrates cost-effective, non-structural mitigation projects designed to secure and protect the contents of you homes."

Kennett Assistant Fire Chief David Horton said, "I think [residents] will be able to get updated information on the fault lines and past history, along with things to do to remedy problems."

Damsafetyaction.org representatives noted that, while February is Earthquake Awareness Month in Missouri, it is also a good time for citizens to identify High-Hazard Potential (HHP) dams near their homes, or travel routes.

The representatives added that the dams could develop safety problems during an earthquake and should have Emergency Action Plans (EAP's) completed as part of an area's preparedness. The organization explained that only 34 of 469 HHP dams in Missouri have EAP's, which are important without a serious earthquake.

Representatives of damsafetyaction.org said that EAP's' on HHP dams could be a helpful tool to utilize during the nation's most extensive earthquake drill, planned for May 2011.

This earthquake drill will assume that a 7.7 magnitude quake has struck all along the New Madrid Seismic Zone, and will involve emergency management professionals from the White House down to local first responders, according to the representatives.

The earthquake drill is being hosted in recognition of the bicentennial of massive quakes of up to magnitude 8 that rocked Missouri and much of the nation in 1811-1812.

The town hall meeting "Preparing Your Home for an Earthquake" will be hosted at 6:30 p.m., on February 11, at the First Baptist Church, 200 Saint Francis Street, in Kennett.

Citizens are encouraged to register to ensure that enough handouts are available to all participants. Registration can be completed online by visiting http://register.cusec.org, or by contacting 1(800) 824-5817.