Running from southern Illinois, across the Missouri Bootheel and into northern Arkansas ­– the area surrounding the New Madrid Fault is one of the most active seismic zones in the country.

Last week, I joined several Missouri elected officials and representatives from state and federal agencies for the annual Earthquake Summit. Hosted at our Fisher Delta Research, Extension, and Education Center in Portageville, I shared the work of researchers systemwide to understand and prepare for earthquakes in Missouri and across the region.

A great example of our impact is fellow presenter Brian Houston, an MU communications professor and director of the Disaster and Community Crisis Center. Prof. Houston studies community awareness about that fault’s risk and its impact on earthquake insurance.

Also attending were Eric Sandvol, MU professor of geological sciences and chair of the Missouri Seismic Safety Commission, as well as Conne Burnham, an emergency management coordinator with Extension. Conne is leading a collaborative USDA grant to train Extension staff to respond in an emergency.

As Missouri’s land-grant university, we have a duty to stand with our state. I appreciated this opportunity to highlight research that supports communities now and for years to come.

— Mun