Much information is now available on earthquakes and earthquake risk in Missouri. Most of it is printed material generated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA); the Center for Earthquake Studies (CES); the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); the Division of Geology and Land Survey (DGLS); the American Red Cross; and other State, Federal, and private sources. This printed information has been available to the general public for years.
Other ways of increasing awareness of earthquakes and earthquake risk to the general public have also been used in the past. Means such as Earthquake Awareness Week, permanent and mobile exhibits, public speakers, earthquake drills, and others have been tried in the past, with varying degrees of success.
Results could be improved by using different and more appealing ways, offered actively and often, to get the attention of the general public. An "earthquake awareness cheerleader" needs to be designated and funded adequately to function as such. Broadcast and print media can be contacted regularly. Rapport with media professionals should be established and maintained. Earthquake awareness needs to be marketed to the general public; it needs to shift gears from a passive to an active approach. A few ideas follow.
Encourage permanent displays in museums throughout the state on earthquakes in general, past earthquakes in Missouri, earthquake risk in Missouri, real-time seismographs, earthquake safety, earthquake preparedness, and current earthquake research topics.
Offer technically qualified and entertaining public speakers to speakers' bureaus and radio industry resources [databases from which speakers on talk-radio are found] throughout the state.
Develop and maintain an Internet Home Page on earthquakes and earthquake risk in Missouri. Update the home page as needed, at least monthly. Include a calendar of earthquake-related professional development training, short courses, continuing education, and workshops.
Develop and/or endorse "envelope stuffers" for utilities to include in their billing envelopes. "Envelope stuffers" outline earthquake safety, risk factors and earthquake history in Missouri. The Public Service Commission (PSC) could help in developing and distributing these envelopes.
Solicit support from key public and private organizations. Utilities, corporations, local service organizations, professional organizations, government agencies, and others can help to develop a network for information dissemination.
Create public service announcements which outline earthquake safety, risk factors and earthquake history in Missouri for the broadcast media.
Develop mobile displays for shopping malls, fairs, libraries, public buildings, special events, and airports that outline earth-quake safety, risk factors and earthquake history in Missouri.
Encourage public and commercial television stations to broadcast earthquake-related programs, such as "Hidden Fury: The New Madrid Fault Zone" and others as available.
Sponsor annual Earthquake Awareness Week (the week in which February 7 falls each year). Target envelope stuffers, public service announcements, public speeches, radio interviews, mobile displays, school earthquake drills, and poster contests to peak in this week. The overall message should state that this is the week to review, reevaluate, and rotate emergency supplies, such as changing batteries, rotating stored water and food supplies, adding diapers if there is a new baby in the household, and including new medications.
Issue regular and special press releases to appropriate news media points of contacts. Topics could include each full meeting of the Missouri Seismic Safety Commission, approaching anniversaries of significant historical earthquakes, announcements of significant technical discoveries or insights into earthquakes and earthquake risk in Missouri and planned earthquake drills.
Have press releases prepared in advantage to take advance of a "window of opportunity," such as a larger high-visibility earthquake worldwide, a moderate earthquake in the midwest or another natural disaster in Missouri.