JONESBORO, Arkansas – State officials are working with government agencies to prepare for earthquakes, which are very hard to predict.
The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, FEMA Region 6, and 30 counties are working together to improve the New Madrid Seismic Zone plan. The plan changes every few years.
“Usually, development has the biggest impact on data changes.” In Jonesboro, we’re always and really in Craighead County as a whole and a lot of the earthquake counties, we’re seeing growth everywhere,” said Anthony Coy, director of Craighead Office of Emergency Management.
Coy said the plan will also focus on safety and facilities.
“We plan for the worst situation we can think of, and we believe that plan will also work for any less serious situations.” That’s called all-hazards planning, he said.
The US Geological Survey believes there is a 25 to 40% chance of an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or higher occurring in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
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