Shrewsbury Hosts Earthquake Seminar

Thursday night, residents, business owners and other community members gathered at for a seminar on preparing their homes and businesses for an earthquake.

The event is part of a five-state outreach tour, marking the 200th anniversary of the New Madrid earthquakes that devastated the central U.S. in the early 1800s. David Gaunt, a geologist with the Department of Natural Resources, gave an overview of the science behind earthquakes. He said that the St. Louis area has been overdue for another large earthquake since the '80s.

One of the speakers, Steve Besemer of the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, said because the Midwest doesn't often experience earthquakes, most people are complacent and unprepared.

Bill Fox, fire chief and emergency management director for the City of Shrewsbury, emphasized the importance of self-reliance in any mass emergency.

"In the event of an earthquake or some catastrophic situation like that, we're going to be busy as heck, and we're not going to be able to take care of you on an individual basis, as we have done in the past," he said.

Brian Blake of the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium talked about the risks of personal injury and property damage, even in a moderate earthquake. Most of it, he said, comes not from buildings collapsing, but from the furniture and objects inside falling and being thrown around by the earthquake.

Claudette Fetterman of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said to prepare your home or business for an earthquake, you should be on the lookout for anything that can fall and hurt someone, block an exit, or start a fire. One of the easiest preventative measures to take, she said, is to secure your water heater to the wall, preventing it from toppling and starting a fire.

During an earthquake, Blake said the best thing to do is drop to the ground, crawl under a sturdy table or desk, and cover your head and neck. Contrary to popular belief, running for a closet or under a doorway is not a good idea, and in a severe enough earthquake, not possible.

Presenters encouraged everyone at the seminar to get their families, workplaces, churches and schools to participate in the Shake Out, an eight-state earthquake drill on April 28. They also suggested that attendees use free, online tools such as QuakeSmart and Open For Business to learn how to do their own earthquake mitigation and set their homes and businesses up for a speedy recovery if disaster does strike.

The seminar ended on a gloomy note, with Larry Case of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents describing the dismal state of earthquake insurance in the Midwest. He encouraged homeowners who thought they were covered to read over their policies again, looking out for unreasonably high deductibles and exclusions for things such as mansonry.

Raymond Widaman came to the seminar with a group of boy scouts from Troop 336 working on their environmental-safety merit badges. Widarman has worked as a volunteer in disaster sitations before, namely the flood of 1993.

"I remember as a youngster, we had an earthquake in the St louis area that almost knocked me off my feet," he said. "I was standing out in my backyard when it hit. Everything shook. You almost have to experience it in order to appreciate what is going on."

Al Peterfeso of Crestwood said that he came to the seminar because he feels it is important to have some idea of what the community can do in the event of a catastrophic earthquake.

"I feel better because I have been given information and a whole lot of tools to get more. Now it's a case of getting out and doing something about it," he said.