[Press Release] : FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Office of Emergency Management to Participate in National Level Exercise, May 16-20, 2011

[Press Releases]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Zim Schwartze, Emergency Management Director
(573) 874-7400

Office of Emergency Management to Participate in National Level Exercise, May 16-20, 2011

COLUMBIA, MO (May 10, 2011) - The Columbia/Boone County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will be among hundreds of agencies in eight states participating in a National Level Exercise preparing for a large magnitude earthquake in the New Madrid Fault Zone area.  A National Level Exercise is an exercise that includes the White House to the local levels of government and emergency response.

"The purpose of the exercise is to make sure that everyone is prepared and ready to respond in the hours and days after a major earthquake," says OEM Director Zim Schwartze.  "In this exercise, participating agencies will map out the decisions and actions they will each take during the first 96 hours after a large magnitude earthquake has occurred .  The focus will be on response and recovery activities between the various federal, state, and local governmental agencies, as well as private sector recovery organizations. We will take part in three of the five days of the National Level Exercise in an effort to properly coordinate plans for our local communications systems and our response coordination through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA)."

The exercise is being conducted in conjunction with the bicentennial year of the 1811 New Madrid earthquake.  In December 1811 and January 1812, there were an estimated five separate earthquakes in that region which are believed to be a magnitude 8.0 or higher. In addition, there were roughly 2,000 smaller tremors over the course of the following months.

The Columbia/Boone County Office of Emergency Management encourages all citizens be prepared for a possible earthquake as well as other disasters and emergencies. There are a number of publications available including those that address earthquakes. Links to that information can be found online at www.gocolumbiamo.com/EM.


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