By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – The agency that recommends earthquake planning and response efforts in Missouri held its first meeting in over a year Friday in St. Louis.
The Missouri Seismic Safety Commission spent much of its time discussing plans for Earthquake Awareness Week in February.
It's also working with the Department of Natural Resources to compile data on soil types that may absorb or amplify an earthquake.
DNR's Jim Palmer says events like the 1968 quake near Dale, Illinois shed some light on which areas may be vulnerable to damage:
One block had a bunch of chimneys thrown down, but nothing necessarily on the next block, Palmer said. We can look at those old damage reports now, and try to get an idea what types of soils were under those, and was that a factor in causing damage locally.
The commission has only 13 of its authorized 17 members. State lawmakers are expected to fill those vacancies early next year.