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Kentucky Emergency Management
EARTHQUAKE EXERCISE IN KENTUCKY - PREPARING FOR THE BIG ONE!
FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 1, 2011) - (Special Note: This information pertains to
an earthquake EXERCISE). As part of a national level EXERCISE on May 16,
2011, a major earthquake will rock the mid-South and unleash an unprecedented
level of destruction upon more than eight states. Unlike other forecasts of
doom, this prediction is based on the certainty of a National Level Exercise
(NLE) scheduled to put local, state and federal officials through the paces
of responding to a catastrophic earthquake in the heart of the United States.
Unlike the weather, experts cannot predict when and where an earthquake may
occur. However, we can tell you with certainty what will happen in Kentucky
during the EXERCISE on May 16, 2011:
* A 7.7 earthquake will strike the New Madrid Seismic Zone in Western
Kentucky and the impact on the Commonwealth during the EXERCISE will include:
Approximately 235,000 people will seek shelter
330,000 households will be without power
Approximately 6,500 will be injured
Approximately 300 deaths will occur
68,500 buildings will be damaged
Critical infrastructure will be damaged or destroyed
250 bridges damaged or destroyed, limiting transportation into and out of the impacted area
Communications will be greatly impaired or fail
Emergency responders will scramble to get information from the area and local emergency management will be limited getting information out
Scary scenario isn't it? That is the scenario Kentucky will use to drive the
upcoming National Level Exercise 2011 (NLE 2011) scheduled this May 16
through 20.
The Tier I exercise, known as NLE 2011, will simulate the decisions and
actions that top officials should be prepared to take in the first 96-hours
after such a devastating earthquake. This is the first NLE to focus on a
natural hazard, rather than a terrorism-focused scenario.
"Is Kentucky ready for a 7.7 earthquake? No. Are we more prepared than we
used to be? Absolutely!" said John Heltzel, director for Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM). He
continued, "The ice storm of Jan. 2009 taught us many valuable lessons which
we have continued to build from. One in particular is Resource Management.
In Kentucky we now have a fully staffed resource management section - prior
to the 2009 Ice Storm, we didn't."
To assist the federal government with prioritizing resources for impacted
areas, Kentucky and the other seven states in the Central United States
Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) have participated in numerous workshops and
planning sessions, including the Resource Allocation Workshop (RAW) held in
Nashville last November with more than 400 participants from federal and
state agencies.
The NLE 2011 will include activities with local responders, federal and state
emergency management officials, private sector partners at multiple venues
around the region, as well as in Washington D.C. and various FEMA regional
offices.
The exercise is designed to assess response and recovery capabilities both
nationally and regionally. Kentucky will use the exercise to update and
rewrite the Commonwealth Catastrophic Earthquake Response Plan.
The NLE 2011 is expected to be the largest joint exercise in United States'
history, and for the first time it is being based on a natural event.
Everyone from private citizens, businesses, all private sector and centers of
government are invited to participate and exercise their own earthquake
preparations.
On Wednesday, April 6, 2011, 11:00 AM EDT, KYEM director John Heltzel is
hosting a media conference call to discuss earthquake preparedness in
Kentucky and the upcoming NLE 11. All media is invited to call
1-866-241-5471, pass code 1709#.
For more information on the NLE 2011 and to register as a participant, visit
www.kyem.ky.gov/nle2011. You will also find external information, related
social media sites and links to Kentucky's Earthquake Preparedness Program.
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