Weakley County Discusses Earthquake Preparedness

The Weakley County Public Safety Committee met on Thursday, January 2 to discuss the possibility of creating a county earthquake plan.

According to data collected by Weakley County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Ray Wiggington, the Reelfoot Earthquakes were 7.2 – 8.2 magnitude earthquakes that struck West Tennessee in the winter of 1811-1812 starting with one on December 16 followed by two on January 23 and February 7. These earthquakes were the largest earthquakes East of the Rockies in recorded history.

According to Wiggington, a similar event today would affect approximately 50% of the State’s population.

On January 4, 1843 a 6.0 magnitude earthquake which originated from Marked Tree, Arkansas caused damage in Tennessee. On August 17, 1865, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck Memphis causing damage and on October 31, 1895 a 5.8-6.6 magnitude earthquake which originated from Charleston, Missouri caused damage across West Tennessee.

“In the past 100 years, only five quakes have been recorded across the state at 4.0 magnitude or above. None have caused significant damage,” Wiggington said.

Wiggington stated that smaller earthquakes (below 4.0) are recorded frequently across the state, but most can’t be felt, however a series of smaller quakes could be indicative that a larger quake is imminent..

“Although it is impossible to predict when or where an earthquake may occur, or how strong it may be, scientists can follow trends and calculate probabilities over the course of a number of years,” Wiggington said.

According to the USGS National Hazard Seismic Model, Weakley County has a 50% to 75% chance of experiencing a damaging earthquake of 4.0 or above with the next 100 years.  There is approximately a 10% chance of a 7.0 or greater magnitude earthquake somewhere along the 150 mile long fault line within the next 50 years.

The amount of damage caused by an earthquake varies depending upon soil type, construction methods, earthquake depth, and distance from the epicenter. To give an estimate of what you can expect from an earthquake, the Michigan Technological University has this scale;

• Below 2.5: Generally not felt
• 5 to 5.4: Minor or no damage
• 5-6.0: Slight damage to buildings
• 1 to 6.9: Serious damage
• 0 or greater: Massive damage. Can destroy communities.

“It’s important to note that because of our local soil composition and the type of fault the New Madrid is, we would experience more damage here than what you would see out West with the San Andreas Fault with earthquakes of the same magnitude. For example, a 6.0 magnitude quake in California may not cause significant damage, but a 6.0 would almost certainly cause widespread damage in West TN. Other factors such as local building practices exacerbate this problem,” Wiggington expressed.  

Wiggington said that it’s reasonable to assume that our county will experience an earthquake in our lifetime that would be likely to cause damage to property and infrastructure and casualties can’t be ruled out.

WEAKLEY COUNTY’S PLAN:

According to Wiggington, The Weakley County Basic Emergency Operations Plan (BEOP) takes an “all hazards” approach to dealing with disaster situations, as such, they have no specific “earthquake plan”. If a large-scale disaster of any type were to occur, the same steps would be taken. Upon the event occurring, they would activate their Emergency Operations Center to establish coordination with agencies that represent their 16 Emergency Support Functions (ESFs).

Their fire departments and Rescue Squad would begin search and rescue activities (if needed), and the Highway Departments would begin route clearance and bridge inspection to establish what routes are available for outside resources to reach us.

Depending upon the scale of the event, casualty collection points and triage areas may be established. The next priority would be to establish sheltering for people who may be displaced, and damage assessment teams will need to be formed to determine the extent of damage to infrastructure and utilities. Their Public Information Officer/Communications Director would disseminate information to the public through all means possible (radio, social media, Nixle). The Chief Executive Officer may choose to declare a state of Emergency if appropriate.

Recovery efforts would be largely affected by the availability of Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs) such as Baptist Disaster Relief, Team Rubicon, and the American Red Cross for example. Other factors would include the availability of State and Federal resources, and their ability to stage and receive those resources.

Wiggington noted that FEMA is not a response agency and would not send personnel into the area until the active emergency is over and recovery operations have begun. TEMA would have a larger role in the county’s response and recovery efforts.

PREPARING NOW:

Wiggington said that mitigation is a key factor in reducing the damage caused by seismic events.

“Things like installing seismic shut-off valves onto natural gas lines and building construction methods have a huge impact,” Wiggington said.

“Planning where receiving and distribution areas can be established is something every jurisdiction struggles with. Areas that can accommodate semi-trucks and store supplies and resources are always needed.  Exercising our plan through table-top and full-scale exercises can help to clarify roles and identify shortfalls. Encourage public agencies to conduct earthquake drills (Drop, cover, hold on). Encourage the public to prepare. We recommend that citizens have a family plan for emergencies and have supplies that can sustain them for at least 72 hours,” Wiggington stated.

Information relating to family disaster planning can be found at www.ready.gov. Information in this article was provided by EMA Director Ray Wiggington.