Earthquakes are no passing fancy to Southern Illinois residents who experienced a significant temblor April 18, 2008, attributed to the Wabash Valley seismic area, The Southern reports today.
With that fact in mind, public officials and the general public can learn more about seismic activity next month as John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill., hosts a regional earthquake preparedness tour - "Identify your Risk, Make a Plan, and Take Action" - that is being presented by the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Institute for Business & Home Safety.
The program will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 9 in JALC Conference Center. It is part of a six-stop tour that includes neighboring states and is a bicentennial recognition of the 1811-12 New Madrid earthquakes that occurred from a fault system in the central United States roughly between St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn.
The series of four earthquakes were among the most violent earthquakes to ever hit the U.S. with magnitudes so powerful, there were eyewitness reports the Mississippi River flowed backward and damage occurred as far away as Washington, D.C., and Charleston, S.C., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
"Recognition of the New Madrid on this tour is designed to get a little more awareness out there for the community. We can learn more about earthquake preparedness," said Chris Barr, coordinator of corporate training at JALC.
CUSEC officials are expected to give a scientific presentation that will detail major facts and research of the New Madrid seismic zone.
What the general public may want to pay particular attention to will be a presentation from IBHS officials that centers on business mitigation and sustainability plans before and after quake activity, Barr said.
Find all of the IBHS projects at www.DisasterSafety.org/earthquake, where you can download a free copy of the new IBHS earthquake retrofit guide.

"Our role is to help businesses and homeowners become more resilient to earthquakes," said IBHS spokesman Joseph King.
There are things homeowners can do for example such as anchoring book shelves to the wall to keep it from collapsing.
"There are specific products available now to help anchor you knickknacks. You want to work for more stability to prevent major damage and to prevent items and objects from becoming moving targets that can seriously injure you. We have new methods of keeping things stable," King said.
The tour is a precursor to a larger event scheduled by CUSEC in April - "The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut" - that will involve more than a million people in Illinois, Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Already being described as the largest earthquake preparedness event in central U.S. history, the ShakeOut will be centered on a simultaneous drop, cover and hold drill that will begin at 10:15 a.m. April 28 according to a CUSEC news release.
Register for the Shakeout and do your part to get prepared.