[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2582]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 EARTHQUAKE AWARENESS MONTH IN MISSOURI

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                           HON. RUSS CARNAHAN

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 29, 2012

  Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring the important issue of 
earthquake awareness to the attention of the members of the House.
  February is Earthquake Awareness Month in Missouri. My district lies 
within the New Madrid Seismic Zone, the nation's most active earthquake 
zone east of the Rocky Mountains. Every year there are more than 200 
small earthquakes in this region and there have been earthquakes as 
strong as magnitude 7.0 in the past. These natural disasters aren't 
predictable so we must remain vigilant in our preparation for and 
awareness of the hazards associated with earthquakes.
  This month I had the opportunity to speak with high school students 
from my district about what they are doing to prepare themselves for an 
earthquake. On February 7th they joined other students from 414 
Missouri schools in the 2012 Great Central US ShakeOut. We discussed 
how the students can prepare their schools and homes for an earthquake 
and they told me about their experience practicing an earthquake drill. 
The safety of our children is of the utmost importance and schools play 
a key role during disasters so when they are well prepared the whole 
community benefits.
  The Saint Louis University Earthquake Center is a world leader in the 
field of earthquake seismology. I had the opportunity to tour this 
facility and to learn about the groundbreaking research they are doing. 
As part of this year's Earthquake Awareness Month, Saint Louis 
University hosted a seminar entitled ``Earthquakes: Mean Business'' 
that focused on disaster preparedness and business continuity planning. 
The St. Louis Science Center also hosted an Earthquake Awareness Day to 
introduce our citizens to the science behind earthquakes.
  I applaud the citizens and businesses of the St. Louis region for 
their vigilance in preparing for earthquakes and I encourage our 
continued investment in studying and preparing for these potentially 
devastating natural events.

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