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"Emergency Management is an insurance policy against disaster."
--Kevin Wisniewski, State Farm Insurance
(speaker at the 2010 National Severe Weather Workshop)
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"2012 STORM FURY ON THE PLAINS"
Severe Weather Awareness / Storm Spotter Training has been scheduled! Click the NWS logo to find out more info!
The Spring CERT Class will be held in Augusta
in late March. To view dates & times or to
register for the class, click on the CERT logo...
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-- EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS--
It is likely that a majority of Butler County residents felt the rumblings of the Oklahoma earthquake on Saturday night, November 5th. Many may have also felt the one that occurred on Monday night, November 7th. Oklahoma’s Saturday earthquake rated a 5.6 magnitude while Monday night’s shook out at a 4.7 magnitude. Let us not forget the 1st of the three Oklahoma earthquakes that occurred on November 5th and came in at a 4.7 magnitude.
While the epicenters of all three of these earthquakes occurred in Oklahoma, the depth of the earthquakes was relatively shallow. This allowed for them to be felt several hundred miles away. The last earthquake to actually be recorded in Butler County was on July 24th, 2001. This rated a 3.0 magnitude and the epicenter was between Augusta and El Dorado. Computer screens shook on the desks at the Augusta City Hall and shook residences in the area. However, no damage or injuries were ever reported. A more recent earthquake, not too far from Butler County, occurred on January 1, 2008, approximately 15 miles West of Arkansas City, just North of the Kansas Oklahoma border.
According to the Kansas Geological Survey: "The Butler County earthquake is associated with a deeply buried feature known as the Nemaha uplift that extends from Omaha, Nebraska to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, passing roughly through Manhattan and El Dorado. This uplift formed about 300 million years ago, and the faults associated with it are still slightly active today, especially the Humboldt fault zone that flanks the eastern edge of the uplift. Very little evidence of these faults appears at the surface. Earthquakes associated with the Nemaha uplift are probably a result of minor adjustments in deep-seated rocks.” While most earthquakes that occur in Kansas are mild, a moderate to large earthquake in east-central Kansas is possible.” You can find the rest of this article by clicking on the link above.
So, what do you do during an earthquake to protect yourself, your family, home, etc? Some key points to remember:
Before an earthquake:
- Secure loose standing objects.
- Place items on the ground that could fall off a shelf, etc and hurt someone.
- Remove objects that could fall and start a fire.
- Remember that earthquakes cause things to shake and consequently fall. The more items you can prevent from falling and breaking, the better off you will be.
During an Earthquake:
- Do not go to the basement.
- Drop to the ground and cover yourself by getting under something sturdy. If the shaking is severe, hold on to something sturdy.
- If you are inside, stay there.
- If you are outside, stay away from objects (trees, buildings, etc) that could break and fall on you.
After an Earthquake:
- Once the shaking has stopped, if it was severe, then safely evacuate the structure.
- Always check your structure (no matter how strong the shaking was) for any damages to chimneys, cracks in walls, and damage to utilities (gas, electrical, sewer and water lines).
A host of websites exist with information on earthquake preparedness. Below are three links to review, but you'll find plenty more information by doing an Internet search on "earthquake." You can also visit the Publications page of our website to access some printable preparedness brochures.
--- TEXT FIRST, TALK SECOND --
During the recent National Preparedness Month (September), the SafeAmerica Foundation partnered with Motorola and UPS to encourage citizens to "Text First, Talk Second" in a disaster. As is often the case during a large-scale incident, phone systems and cellular networks can become taxed beyond capacity as everyone (both those directly affected and those outside the incident) tries to make phone calls simultaneously. Sending texts, rather than making phone calls, can free up precious bandwidth and allow more people to get messages through to their loved ones. And while the official Preparedness Month is over, knowing where to go, what to do, and who to call in an emergency or disaster is important year-round. To view Preparedness Month promotional materials published by the SafeAmerica Foundation, click on the files below. And consider making the drills they suggest a part of your regular disaster planning.
Texting Info #1 Texting Info #2
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The Butler County Department of Emergency Management was formally established following the April 1991 tornado that entered Butler County in the Andover area and tracked East/Northeast towards Cassoday. In 1992, Butler County Emergency Management became a stand alone agency. In 2003, the Board of Butler County Commissioners added to our department's responsibilities by including Homeland Security in our title. With this change, our County Commissioners have appointed us as the legal point of contact for state and federal information on all homeland security issues for our county.
Our office is currently located in the Augusta Department of Public Safety building: 2100 N. Ohio Street, Suite B, Augusta, Kansas 67010.
Butler County Emergency Management & Homeland Security is staffed with 3 full time personnel and over 50 trained and active Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and storm spotting volunteers.
We are available to speak to any civic group, public or private business, etc on emergency preparedness issues or act as consultants on emergency planning.
We are responsible for writing and maintaining the Butler County Emergency Operations Plan, the swift and coordinated response of public and private assistance during disasters, damage assessment and resource coordination following disasters, and all available assistance for recovery.
We act as the administrative arm of the Butler County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and the Citizens Corps Council - the parent organization of our CERT. We also serve as Secretary of the Butler County Fire Chiefs Association, and Hazard Mitigation Director for the county.
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of immediate assistance, please call 9-1-1.)
