Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) A Partnership for Addressing the Earthquake Risk in the Central U.S.

Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC)

A Partnership for

Addressing the Earthquake Risk in the Central U.S.

Presentation Overview

• Why CUSEC?• National Earthquake Hazard Reduction

Program (NEHRP)• CUSEC

– Organizational structure– Post Capstone-14

Why CUSEC?

• Unique hazard that impacts a large geographical area

• States needed a means to address the multi-state aspects of the hazard and associated risk

• Provides a means of neutrality• Test bed advancing new ideas and

methodologies for handoff on a national level• Regional Advocate for Risk Reduction

Overview of the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP)

• Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 – NEHRP was established by Congress in 1977 as a long-term, nation-wide

program to reduce the risks to life and property in the U.S. resulting from earthquakes.

– Re-Authorized in 2004 - Public Law 108-360• Expired in 2009

• NEHRP Agencies and their role:– NIST – Lead Agency, code development, engineering– USGS - Seismic hazard research (internal & external), monitoring; – NSF - Engineering research,– FEMA –Administered through the Mitigation Division – Preparedness,

mitigation, response and recovery , public awareness and education

(A) Program responsibilities.--The Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response (the Director of the Federal Emergency

Management Agency)--

(iii) shall operate a program of grants and assistance to enable States to develop mitigation, preparedness, and response plans, prepare inventories and conduct seismic safety inspections of critical structures and lifelines, update building and zoning codes and ordinances to enhance seismic safety, increase earthquake awareness and education, and encourage the development of multi-State groups for such purposes;

DHS/FEMA NEHRP Responsibilities under 2004 Authorization

CUSEC• Non-profit organization formed in 1983 and headquartered in Memphis

– Role: Address the regional aspects of the seismic hazard while meeting the needs of its member states

– Mission: "... the reduction of deaths, injuries, property damage and economic losses resulting from earthquakes in the Central United States.“

• Board of Directors - State EMA Directors – Art Faulkner – Chairman

• Eight Member States –AL, AR, KY, IL, IN, MO, MS, & TN– Ten Associate States

• Working Groups: State EMA – EQPM’s, PIO’s, Ops Chiefs, State Hazard Mitigation Officers, Donations/Volunteer planners, Exercise Officers

• Organizational Associations– Association of CUSEC State Geologists– CUSEC State Transportation Task Force– State Insurance Commissioners Working Group

• Corporate Sponsors

• Cover Four FEMA Regions– 4, 5, 6, & 7

FEMA Supported Consortia

Alaska

Hawaii

WSSPC Member States

NESEC Member States

CUSEC Member States

No Consortia Affiliation

CUSEC Associate States

Cascadia Regional Earthquake Workgroup

CUSEC Goals

• To raise the level of public awareness of the earthquake hazard in the central U.S.

• To promote the adoption of mitigation programs, tools, and techniques to reduce vulnerability

• To foster multi-state planning for response and recovery to a damaging earthquake

• To promote the application of research and lessons learned to improve the level of preparedness

Current Activities

• Public Awareness & Education– Earthquake Awareness Week/Month

• AR, MO, IN, KY, TN– Great Central U.S./SouthEast ShakeOut – Oct 15, 2015– Ride the Fault Tour– AR, KY, MO, TN – June 2015

• Mitigation– Rover feasibility Assessment – Building Inspector Resource Deployment Framework

• Multi-State Planning– Board Meetings– Earthquake Program Managers Meeting– Establishing EPIcenters in each state– Maintaining Geocache in each state – State Assistance

• Implementation of Research – Integration of Survey and EMA planning workshop

2014/2015 CUSEC Work Plan Activities

Planning Initiative's • SONS 07

– June 18-29, 2007– First in-land exercise– First natural disaster scenario– First SONS in the Midwest Region– AAR – Dec. 18, 2008

• FEMA New Madrid Catastrophic Planning/NLE-11– 8 State plans– 4 Regional – National level NMSZ

Catastrophic plan– Planning effort culminated

with NLE-11

• Capstone 14

CAPSTONE-14 exercise outlined six multi-state objectives focused on the following capabilities:

• Private Sector Integration• Communications• Shared Situational Awareness• Regional and National Resource Allocation• Regional Transportation Coordination

Next steps

• Post CAPSTONE Priorities– Institutionalizing CUSEC member states’ GIS and information

sharing capabilities– Associate State Integration– Electric Sector Integration

• Align with FEMA Regional Efforts– GIS Restructuring– Eq. Plan Update 2016

• Partnering with DHS S&T, DOE, MIT Lincoln Labs, Argonne National Labs

• Proposed Exercise is 2017

Next Steps Continued

• Focused on Reinvigorating the Eq. Program at the National, Regional, and State Levels

– National• NEMA Eq. Subcommittee• NEPM Working group

– Regional • CUSEC Board of Directors• FEMA Regions

– State• State Agencies – EMA, State Geological Survey, State DOT• Helping to Strengthen the Program by elevating the EP Program Manager Position • State Assistance – Workshops, Outreach Materials, Training,…

…river-men accustomed to continually “learning” the river, adding to their knowledge after every season of flood or storm, were confronted with a perilously complete transformation of the river they thought they knew.

Latrobe, The First Steamboat Voyage on the Western Waters

Questions