shaken, not stirred

An interesting coincidence has the ground shaking in Montana one way or another this month.

Yellowstone Supervolcano Alert

A full-blown eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano would dump a 10-foot-deep layer of volcanic ash up to 1,000 miles away, and it would render much of the United States uninhabitable.

While some of that might be “worst case scenario”, it is certainly consistent with the long-term information I have read and seen about the geology of The Idaho Territory (unlawfully split into the states of Montana and Idaho).

This whole area from the lower left corner of Idaho to past Yellowstone is sitting on a thin skin over the top of some explosively powerful hot stuff. And those who study such things call it “young” – in that it has been ready to blow any day now for all of our lifetimes.

Now some students of that hot spot say that any day now is coming sooner rather than later.

In an interesting coincidence that for once I don’t attribute to Bilderberg scheming and manipulation, the Montana area is having an earthquake exercise this month. I will be part of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service portion of this drill – thus have heard of it’s coming for a while.

You can click on either or both of those articles for links to much more information on each.

I think it prudent to use these tidbits as motivation to review your pantry and preparedness for emergencies, including earthquake and volcanic eruption. Perhaps we all should review what happened when Mount Saint Helens blew her top. Our Yellowstone neighbor could be many, many times as big. Lucky for us, the prevailing winds are in our favor, BUT that doesn’t leave us unaffected by any stretch of the imagination.

Rocky Mountain ShakeOut

Over 50,000 Montanans have already signed-up to participate in the
drill, joining over 21 million people across the globe. Registrants
come from Ekalaka to Eureka, and include individuals in public and
private K-12 schools, private businesses, state agencies, and more. A
growing list of Montana participants can be found at
www.shakeout.org/rockymountain.

The 2013 Rocky Mountain ShakeOut is organized by the State of Montana
Disaster and Emergency Services, Governor’s Office of Community
Service, American Red Cross of Montana, the Montana Bureau of Mines and
Geology, and local partners across the state. The drill is supported by
the Earthquake Country Alliance, whose members include the U.S.
Geological Survey, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the
American Red Cross.

The following are experts in earthquake preparedness/mitigation in
Montana and are available for interview:
Michael Stickney, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (Butte)
Michael Stickney grew up in Missoula and received a B.A. in 1978 and a
M.A. in 1980, both in geology from the University of Montana. He
received an honorary PhD from Montana State University in 2004. In
1982, Mike was appointed Director of the Earthquake Studies Office and
promoted to senior research geologist in 2002. He is a member of
Seismological Society of America, Western States Seismic Policy
Council, and currently serves as president of the Tobacco Root Geologic
Society. Mike has written extensively on seismic related topics
including tectonics, seismic hazard, and historic earthquakes of the
northern Rocky Mountains.

PHONE: (406) 496-4332
EMAIL: mstickney@mtech.edu

Paul Spengler, Lewis and Clark County Disaster and Emergency Services
(Helena)
Paul Spengler is the Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator for
Lewis and Clark County. He has been conducting community earthquake
drills in the Helena area for over thirty years, making Lewis and Clark
County a leader in the state for earthquake awareness and preparedness.
He has successfully engaged schools, private businesses, and city and
county facilities.
PHONE: (406) 447-8285
EMAIL: pspengler@lccountymt.gov

Kent Atwood, State of Montana Disaster and Emergency Services (Helena)
Kent Atwood is the State Hazard Mitigation Officer at the State of
Montana Disaster and Emergency Services. He is has knowledge of past
and current seismic retrofit projects in Montana and is an expert is
earthquake hazard mitigation.
PHONE: (406) 324-4782
EMAIL: katwood@mt.gov

For questions or additional information, contact Katie Gallagher,
Governor’s Office of Community Service, at 444-1718 or via email at
kgallagher@mt.gov
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Katie Gallagher
Grant Coordinator
Governor’s Office of Community Service
Phone: (406) 444-1718
Email: kgallagher@mt.gov