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ACEE graphic
This map, found on the Arkansas Center for Earthquake Education Web site, depicts the measured affect of a major earthquake along the New Madrid Fault. Calloway County lies very close to the area predicted to take the brunt of any destruction. |
Fiscal court renews its quake policy
By TOM BERRY
Staff Writer
Acting on the possibility - if not the probability - of an earthquake along the New Madrid Fault, Calloway County Fiscal Court voted Tuesday night to renew annual earthquake insurance for 2008-09.
Pointing out the rising cost of protection in recent years, Calloway County Judge-Executive Larry Elkins nevertheless recommended allocating $ 27,319 to keep the county covered. Elkins said he would rather be safe than sorry and recommended the move.
“It's one of the expenses we have no control over,” Elkins said. “I don't expect an earthquake, but with everything else going on you never know what can happen. I would recommend we go ahead and pay it.”
The premium is based on a county property evaluation of $14.8 million. The county has subscribed to earthquake insurance for at least 10 years.
According to the University of Memphis Web site, a significant earthquake along the fault is more of matter of “when” than “if.” The New Madrid Fault represents the greatest earthquake risk east of the Rocky Mountains, officials say.
Damaging earthquakes rarely take place in the region, but seismologists say that should an event occur the damage can be far greater than in other areas such as California due to the underlying geology and could cause significant damage far away from the epicenter.
The fault lies along the Mississippi River basin in a weak spot known as the Reelfoot Rift. It extends 150 miles southward from Cairo, Illinois through New Madrid and Caruthersville, Mo., down through Blytheville, Ark., to Marked Tree, Ark. It dips into Kentucky near Fulton and into Tennessee near Reelfoot Lake, and extends southeast to Dyersburg, Tenn. It crosses five state lines and crosses the Mississippi River in at least three places.
Still, just this year Calloway County felt the tremors of an earthquake to the north in Illinois. In April, a reported 5.2 magnitude earthquake around 4:37 a.m. was centered near the central Illinois-Indiana border and sent shockwaves through those states, as well as Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa. Local law enforcement and emergency dispatch personnel fielded numerous calls following the tremor but no damage or injuries were reported.
Aftershocks were felt in Calloway County two days later.
The affected western Kentucky zone has been the site of recent Kentucky National Guard and Homeland Security crisis response drills involving emergency services from Purchase and other regional counties. New Madrid tremors were felt as far away as Atlanta, Georgia earlier this year.
In other business, Environmental Planner Alicia Tabers and Calloway County Sheriff Bill Marcum announced the county's participation in the collection of old tires and prescription medications. Tabers said the state will sponsor the Waste Tire Amnesty Program again this year on Oct. 16-18 at the Calloway County Road Department garage on Sycamore Extention. Anyone wanting to participate is asked to turn the tires in free-of-charge in an effort to remove the toxic materials from the environment.
About 110,000 tires were turned in during the county's initial involvement in the program and county officials are hoping for similar success this year. The program is paid for by charges made by the state through tire dealers when new tires are purchased.
Tabers noted that the program may be the last to be sponsored in the region for a while because of loss of state funding and encourages everyone to participate.
“Some counties won't have one until 2010 and I don't really know why we're having one this year. This could be our last one for a while,” she said.
Meanwhile Marcum announced that the sheriff's department will participate in “Make A Difference Day” coming up Saturday, Aug. 2, at Stewart Stadium. Marcum is asking county residents to turn in prescription medications that have expired or are no longer being used. Marcum said the effort is intended to keep the drugs out of the hands of youngsters or other potential abuse in the interest of public safety.
“We're asking everybody to go through their medicine cabinets and bring whatever they no longer need or use to us so we can dispose of it,” Marcum said.
In other business, magistrates:
- approved Treasurer Anita Gallimore's 2007-08 final settlement. Gallimore reported total receipts for the year at $17,184,681 with claims amounting to $9,073, 970 leaving balance of $8,110, 710. She said the settlement represents all receipts and claims for the year by account.
“Everything balances,” she said. “It all balances with our cash at the end of the year.”
- approved the addition of a short section of Mary Drive in the Anderson Shores area into the county road maintenance system at the request of First Precinct Magistrate Eddie Clyde Hale. The extention includes about a quarter-mile of roadway.
- approved the appointment of Lori Cooper to the Calloway County Property Protection Board. Elkins said current board chairman Dennis McDaniels has reported he will be moving out of the county and has resigned the duty. Cooper will fulfill McDaniels' four-year term.
Story created Jul 16, 2008 - 11:35:26 EDT.
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