Missouri Earthquake Preparedness

See Recent Earthquake Activity

Interactive map shows the latest earthquake activity throughout the region. Click here...

Drop, Cover, Hold On

Watch the video and learn what you can do. Click to Play

Missouri Students Win Earthquake Poster Contest

Students from Sikeston and Cuba are the statewide winners of the annual earthquake awareness poster contest. Read more... View Slideshow...

Preparing for "The Big One"

In Missouri and the central United States, 2011-12 is an important time for earthquake education and preparedness planning. You may not think of Missouri as being at risk of a major earthquake. But 200 hundred years ago -- from Dec. 16, 1811 to Feb. 7, 1812 -- Missouri was rocked by at least three of the largest earthquakes ever to hit the continental United States. The most powerful was centered in New Madrid, in southeast Missouri. The earthquakes altered the flow of the Mississippi River, turned rich farmland into fields of sand and destroyed countless structures. People on the East Coast of the United States felt shaking, and church bells reportedly rang as far away as South Carolina! The risk of a similar earthquake remains, and today the then-sparsely populated New Madrid Seismic Zone includes many population centers.

As we commemorate the 200th anniversary of those devastating quakes, preparing and planning are essential. The New Madrid Seismic Zone experiences about 200 small earthquakes a year, and scientists say it’s only a matter of time before large earthquakes strike our area again. And unlike other disasters, earthquakes provide no advance warning!

The State Emergency Management Agency works with many government and voluntary agencies, businesses and schools to ensure a coordinated, effective response to the challenges a major earthquake would pose. Please explore this web site to learn more about the history and geology of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, and make sure you and your family know what to do before, during and after an earthquake in Missouri.