DESPP CONTINUES TO MONITOR EARTHQUAKE ACTIVITY
PLANS MULTI-AGENCY BRIEIFNG AT THE STATE EOC ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 16th
The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) continues to monitor earthquake activity in eastern Connecticut and will conduct a multi-agency briefing this Friday, January 16 at the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to discuss the state’s preparedness posture should these earthquakes continue and begin to cause damage.
“Moderate to large earthquakes are rare in New England, but as we have seen over the past week, Connecticut is not immune to earthquake activity,” said DESSP Commissioner Dora B. Schriro. “These small quakes have not and typically do not result in injuries or significant damage to property, but we want to assure everyone that we continue to work with all of our public safety partners to mitigate any potential issues that may arise.”
DESPP continues to be in regular contact with its local, state, and federal partners including FEMA and the Western Observatory at Boston College.
According to the Western Observatory at Boston College, a number of minor earthquakes have occurred near several towns in eastern Connecticut since last Thursday. All the earthquakes have been recorded in the area of Plainfield, Killingly and Sterling, with the largest being a 3.3 magnitude earthquake on the Plainfield-Sterling line recorded at 6:36am on Monday, January, 12. This 3.3 earthquake was the largest in New England since a 4.0 magnitude earthquake hit southern Maine on October 16, 2012.
A much more frequent occurrence in the state are so-called “cluster” earthquakes. Cluster earthquakes are small quakes (typically less than 4.0) that occur repeatedly in the same area.
The Weston Observatory at Boston College has also notified the state that they have deployed several portable seismographs in the area to capture more detailed information. These devices will remain in place for a minimum of 3 weeks.
The multi-agency briefing will take place on Friday, January 16 at 9:00am at the SEOC and will include several state agencies, as well as FEMA, the Red Cross, and United Way 2-1-1.