Department of Public Safety
Participates in Planning Meeting for 2007 National Exercise
ST. LOUIS, Nov. 10, 2005-An initial planning meeting
for the June 2007 Spills of National Significance (SONS 07) was conducted
in St. Louis with stakeholders ranging from the 12 states along the
Mississippi River, the US Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection
Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The planning session was held Nov. 8 in St. Louis. Discussions
concerning this exercise have been conducted over the last two years,
long before Hurricanes Katrina or Rita. The national exercise will
incorporate both an earthquake and a hazardous materials response.
“The SONS 07 exercise is important because a damaging
earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone would have far reaching
repercussions not only for Missouri’s citizens and infrastructure
but also our sister states located along the Mississippi and Ohio
Rivers,” said Mark James, Director of Public Safety.
Missouri is one of 12 states bordering the Mississippi
and Ohio rivers. Also, Missouri is one of seven states that would
be impacted from an earthquake alone the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
The other six states are Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky,
Illinois and Indiana. The Wabash Seismic Fault would impact Indiana.
“From a response point of view, this national
exercise will give Missouri’s local and state agency emergency
responders excellent hands-on response practice during a non-disaster,”
James said. “The lessons first responder learn in this exercise
will benefit all Missourians.”
While earthquakes in California are more frequent and
grab headlines, the New Madrid Seismic Zone would impact not only
the Midwest but also the Northeastern states. (more)
The last major damaging earthquake, over magnitude 6.5,
occurred Oct. 31, 1895, in Charleston, Mo. This past year there have
been four magnitude 4 earthquakes along the New Madrid Zone.
“The earthquake threat is real. It is not a matter
of if, but when we will experience another damaging earthquake,”
said Missouri State Emergency Management Director Ron Reynolds, who
sits on the Central United States Earthquake Consortium board of directors.
For more information about the SONS 07 exercise website:
www.sons-program.org