Arkansas Urged to Prepare for New Madrid Fault Quake

We all know the threat exists that one day the New Madrid Fault will really start to rock, but is there something else going on other than just prudent planning that has caused this warning to be released now??? I personally think the government is throwing out every warning they can and letting us know, that we will all need to fend for ourselves and should be educated and prepared for possible disasters.

Ark. Residents Urged to Prepare for Quake

AP) Federal and state emergency officials are encouraging Arkansas residents to prepare now for a possible earthquake.

The United States Geological Survey considers Arkansas among the states with a "high earthquake risk" because of activity in the New Madrid fault zone.

The fault runs from Marked Tree to near Cairo, Ill., and while it remains active, most of the quakes are too small to be felt at the surface.

Win Henderson, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency at Little Rock, said Monday the agency wanted to issue a reminder to residents because catastrophic earthquakes are so unpredictable.

"It could be tomorrow. It could be 60 years. We don't know," Henderson said.

USGS list of Earthquake Activity in the Central/South USA

From the seismographs, I don't see any particular trend or increase in intensity of the quakes around the New Madrid fault, perhaps someone who has been following earthquake activity can shed some to light as whether or not there has been an increase there.

Here is a link to some of the research in the pipe for the next year.

earthquake.usgs.gov...

I think the Feds have been so embarrassed by their recent poor handling of disasters that they're trying to cover all their bases. Too bad all they're doing is lip-service. Now, when a big one does hit, and the Fed response is sub-par, they can come back with "Gosh Darn It, Arkansans, We Told Ya So!!!"
"Aw, Horse Apples!!!"

exactly zamphir... I feel the same way. You can't blame them when they can come back and say "I told you to prepare".

The problem is a major New Madrid Quake could take decades to happen. People know that and they feel there isn't any urgency to make preparations, so regardless of when it happens, there's always going to be people unprepared and ready to blame the govt.

Not really - they've been warning about this thing for ages. When I paid my first ever visit to the States, back in August 1990, they were talking about it then. The only local response was that people started camping out in front of Graceland. Apparently they thought that if there was a big quake then the tomb of Elvis might break open and then they could see if he really was in the coffin! Sounds crazy, but I remember seeing the people there.
On a more serious side, any fault line that can make the Mississippi run backwards for a time has got to be flagged up as bloody dangerous.

That could be the worst natural disaster to come out of Arkansas since the clinton presidency...

I watch the events dealing with the New Madrid closely, as it could very well affect me. One thing to keep in mind, is that the ground is totaly different here, more fragile. So, a 7 pointer would be a lot more devistating here than it would be on the West coast. Also, all houses and buildings in the northern half of Missouri do not have to, and are not built to any earthquake codes. Truth of the matter is that they do not know exactly how long or where the New Madrid fault line is. However, most scientists firmly believe that the Mississippi River is the fault line.

There are so many caves around here, that could and most likely would collapse. The topography totaly changed after the last big quakes. Lakes dissapeared, others formed where crops used to be. The river even flowed backwards for a time.

I think one of the reasons they are getting all upset (again) now, is because the last quake was quite different than the other have been. Different enough that it made the news statewide. The 2.9 not only shook houses, but ended in a very loud BANG. I know that in other quakes this is quite common, but not here. It might rumble, and shake, but there have not been any other BANGs like this one reported. That tells me that these quakes are not just basic stress reliecing, but actual movement along the fault. Something, some scientists have been waiting for, for a very, very long time. There are quite a few scientists who are waiting for the one large enough to allow the sea to come in.

Growing up and living in So California we have always had an earthquake emergency supply,and when a quake does hit on the New Madrid it just might be largest quake ever recorded,with lax building codes and total disregard could be as potentially devastating as a nucleur strike,I would heed their words