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I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet - Earthquake Preparedness

We're guessing that most CSOs don't have a geophysicist on staff to help with earthquake disaster planning.

By Tom Wailgum

July 01, 2004 — CSO — We're guessing that most CSOs don't have a geophysicist on staff to help with earthquake disaster planning. To fill that void, CSOs may want to attend the 2004 National Earthquake Conference in September. According to conference officials, 40 U.S. states have moderate to very high earthquake risk, which could affect up to 75 million Americans.

"Some businesses are prepared, and some are clueless," says geologist Phyllis Steckel, who serves on the Missouri Seismic Safety Commission, which is helping organize the conference. "I don't think anybody can anticipate all the possibilities, but a lot of [a company's preparedness] comes with the company's history."

The conference aims to help business and government officials become more aware of earthquake risk, and formulate strategies for action and loss reduction. "This is not a technical conference," Steckel says. "We're not going to talk about geophysics or radio frequencies in the chain of command. We're going to talk about stuff that business and industry needs to know. We're going to make that bridge between geophysics and business."

Steckel also sees a clear parallel between earthquake mitigation and the current focus on terrorism and homeland security. "When you retrofit a building or operation to be less exposed to earthquake risk, it will almost always help against terrorism threats," she notes. For more information on the conference, go to www.earthquakeconference.org.