Poyen, Sheridan districts to participate in earthquake drill

By Millie McClain

     In recognition of Earthquake Awareness Week Feb. 11–15, the Sheridan and Poyen school districts will be holding earthquake drills on Friday, Feb. 8. Some campuses will also be doing in-class informative activities about earthquakes.

     The New Madrid seismic zone runs roughly 150 miles long from Arkansas into Missouri and Illinois. The fault line in Arkansas runs northeast of Marked Tree generally following Interstate 55 in a zigzag pattern through Blytheville, crosses five state lines and cuts across the Mississippi River in three places.

     Although the fault line runs through the northern part of the state, scientists say the effects and damage of a major earthquake could still be felt in Grant County. The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) has organized a statewide event to make Arkansans more aware of and prepared for an earthquake.

     The Feb. 8 earthquake drill is a statewide event that many schools across the state will be participating in along with Poyen and Sheridan. The drill will be held at 1 p.m. Both Sheridan and Poyen school districts will be holding an earthquake drill at that time on all of their campuses for all students.

     Most Arkansans think of tornadoes, ice storms, and thunderstorms when asked about natural disasters, and although those are more likely to occur in Arkansas, earthquakes are still a threat to the state.

     "When's the last time you heard about a child dying in a fire at school," noted Coach Dennis Emerson, who handles all of the Poyen School District’s crisis planning. "It's probably been awhile. That's because we prepare. We have drills. Earthquakes are something we never want to happen, but if we are prepared for it, then maybe we can keep everyone safe."

     Emerson said Poyen schools will be participating in the drill as well as having the elementary schools work on activities and worksheets that emphasis earthquake awareness and preparedness.

     "There are earthquakes that happen in Arkansas periodically, mostly small and not felt, but there is that possibility for a major quake," he noted. "Being prepared is the key. If we prepare our students and staff, then hopefully we can keep everyone safe if an earthquake does occur."

     Emerson added that in the early 1990s there was talk and predictions of an approaching earthquake that would effect Arkansas, and at that time Poyen schools took steps to earthquake-proof their facilities.

     "All the experts were saying that Arkansas was due a major quake," Emerson explained. He said himself and other staff and faculty members went through each building securing bookshelves, file cabinets and other heavy items that could fall as well as conducting earthquake drills. However, the students who went through earthquake drills then have probably graduated now.

     According to the United States Geological Survey, Arkansas is considered to be among the states with a “High Earthquake Risk.” Several U.S. states and territories are considered at “very high risk,” “high risk” or at “moderate risk” in regard to earthquakes. States listed as high risk are: American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah. Several of the high-risk states are in or near the New Madrid Fault, the most seismically active region in the United States east of the Rockies.

The Grant County Office of Emergency Management explained that the New Madrid seismic zone is actually a series of faults or fractures at a weak spot in the earth's crust called the Reelfoot Rift, which lies deep underground and is not visible from the surface.

     The geologic structure of New Madrid fault zone is made of layers of sedimentary rock, such as limestone, which radiates the tremors—much like hitting a bass drum.  Because of the “ripple” effect, an earthquake along the New Madrid fault zone would travel farther and cause more damage than a quake of similar magnitude on the West Coast, according to the Grant County OEM. This causes the entire seismic zone to be susceptible to damage from an earthquake.

     "The New Madrid Fault is an active fault averaging over 200 measurable events per year, which equates to nearly daily activity in and around the seismic zone," explained Liza Bray of the OEM. "Earthquakes are measured by intensity and magnitude. The Richter scale is used for magnitude measurement to describe the energy released while the Modified Mercalli scale measures intensity to demonstrate the effects of the event. 

     Grant County does have a potential risk to be affected by an earthquake, therefore the GCOEM does have an Earthquake Response Plan in place. The need for earthquake drills and awareness are being met by communicating to the community the potential risks and providing information on how to prepare and what to do in case of an earthquake.”

     Over a three-month period during the winter of 1811-1812, the New Madrid Fault caused some of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded on the North American continent, according to a joint statement issued by ADEM and FEMA. The quaking continued over 18 months. The shocks rang church bells in Boston. Large areas sank into the earth, new lakes were formed, and the Mississippi River changed its course. The most powerful shock was estimated to be greater than magnitude 8.0 and occurred on Feb. 7, 1812.

     When the 1811-1812 earthquake hit, the region was still a frontier and sparsely populated. Such an event today would cause the potential loss of thousands of lives as well as untold devastation, the two agencies reported. There could be billions of dollars in damages to cities, bridges, roads, dams and other infrastructure. Since 1974, seismic detection instruments in the New Madrid Seismic Zone have recorded over 4,000 minor earthquake tremors.

     According to Arkansas Earthquake Hazard Zones for an 8.6 magnitude tremor on the New Madrid system that has been released by the Center for Earthquake Education and Technology Transfer (CEETT) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Grant County lies within the VII Zone. An abbreviated description of potential damage was stated as “Damage negligible in buildings of good design and construction; slight to moderate in well-built ordinary structures; considerable damage in poorly built or badly designed structures; some chimneys broken.”

     In an estimate of damage to Grant County provided by the CEETT based upon an earthquake in the southern portion of the New Madrid System, 100 percent of the local population would report feeling a major quake. Figures were provided for both a 7.0-7.9 magnitude quake and an 8.0-8.9 tremor. The population for Grant County in the report was based on earlier population figures and listed as 13,948 with 5,579 buildings. In considering the impact of an 8.0-8.9 earthquake, about 10 percent of the population in Grant County would be displaced. In the effects on buildings, damage to contents would be at 80 percent with 70 percent suffering from some architectural damage. Electric and telephone service would also most likely be disrupted.

     Although Grant County is not exactly at major risk for an earthquake, there is a great deal of trembling occurring within the system. Since instruments were installed in and around the New Madrid in 1974 to monitor the seismic activity, thousands of earthquakes have been located, although most are too small to be felt.

     The last earthquake that was detectable by a small number of local residents in Grant County occurred on May 4, 2001. The tremor was centered about 15 miles northeast of Conway in Faulkner County and registered at a 4.4 magnitude. The ADEM stated there were no injuries and damage was limited to items knocked off shelves and unconfirmed minor glass breakage. The earthquake was felt throughout Central Arkansas and as far northwest as the borders of Oklahoma and Missouri. Some citizens in the northern section of Grant County and in Sheridan near the Sheridan-Grant County Municipal Airport reported feeling the quake, according to earlier information.

     Moreover, although the greatest number of earthquake epicenters – or the surface locations directly above the points where the earthquake ruptures begin - in Arkansas are understandably located in the northeast region of the state closer to the New Madrid Fault, epicenters have occurred almost throughout Arkansas. Information provided by the Center for Earthquake Research and Information stated that a 1.6 magnitude tremor occurred northwest of Sheridan on April 24, 1982. Two years later on Aug. 19, 1984, a 2.1 quake struck in Poyen, followed by a 1.7 tremor on Aug. 8, 1987 in almost the same exact area, but these quakes were too small to be detected by citizens.

     In researching records that might have had an impact on Grant County, McFarlin reported: “Looking back to March 1911 I find an event thought to be around magnitude 4.7 that seemed to occur south of Grant County near Warren and Rison. I have no records of any earthquake large enough to be felt located in Grant County. I have just 17 earthquakes located in and around Grant County and except for the Warren/Rison event they were all way too small to be felt – magnitudes 1-2.”

     “On occasion we have an earthquake that has the possibility of being felt [in Grant County] but is so weak that very few actually notice it,” he said. “Specifically, in Grant County we note a tiny earthquake once every several years to a decade or more.”

     GCOEM Coordinator Randy Pruitt said, "The New Madrid Fault has been determined to be the number one threat in the United States. In 1811-1812 this fault ….. had the most significant earthquake ever noted in the United States. Scientists predict this fault to produce an earthquake with catastrophic results every 200 to 300 years (2011, three years away, will be 200 years). Although the New Madrid seismic zone runs through Northeast Arkansas, Grant County will possibly be affected. Representatives from Grant County Emergency Management and Sheridan School District attended a two day Earthquake Planning Conference in Conway to become better prepared for an incident involving our community,"

     As for the earthquake drill that will occur this Friday at 1 p.m. at both Sheridan and Poyen schools, Emerson explained that at Poyen the drill will be announced and students will then immediately STOP what they are doing, DROP to the floor, and COVER themselves by getting under their desks to protect their heads and other body parts from being hit by any falling objects.

     The students will then be evacuated from the building and assembled in pre-determined locations were teachers will then conduct roll call so that every student is accounted for. They will then await either an all clear to return to the classes or will move their students into a predetermined gathering place were students can be checked out in the case that the school was shutting down.

     In the Sheridan School District, Assistant Superintendent Doug West noted all campuses in the system will be participating in the 1 p.m. drill and all campuses will participate in activities as time and their schedules allow. For the purpose of this drill, there may be an announcement made on each campus to begin the drill, he said. After the drill, teachers will work through a “Drill and Evacuation Checklist” to reflect on how well the earthquake plan was followed.

     West said the main points of the district’s plan are to “(1) Remain calm, (2) Take cover under a table, desk, or counter, (3) Turn away from windows, (4) Cover with a coat or jacket if available, (5) Place both hands over the back of your head and neck, (6) If the table or desk moves, stay under it, (7) Remain under cover until the earthquake has stopped, (8) Keep quiet and listen for teacher instruction, and (9) Evacuate the room and building using the Fire Drill Procedure.”