A 7.7 Midwest Quake? FEMA and Partners Test Response in Shaken Fury Exercises

The Federal Emergency Management Agency tested this week how agencies will come together should the New Madrid Fault Line in the Midwest break loose.

The Shaken Fury exercises, ranging from tabletop to full-scale, incorporated the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Northern Command, state and local governments, and the private sector. The scenario? A 7.7 magnitude earthquake epicentered near Memphis, Tenn.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a temblor higher than 7.0 would, at the least, cause extensive damage: “Damage slight in specially designed structures; considerable damage in ordinary substantial buildings with partial collapse. Damage great in poorly built structures. Fall of chimneys, factory stacks, columns, monuments, walls. Heavy furniture overturned.”

And while scientists are making strides toward the goal of earthquake forecasting, Shaken Fury tested response mechanisms for a quake with no advanced notice. This allowed emergency managers to identify cracks and fill the resources gaps.

“Being prepared is fundamental to being resilient. As complex and interconnected as our infrastructure is, bringing organizations that would be involved in responding to widespread damage and disruption together is essential to building that shared preparedness and resilience posture,” Brian Harrell, assistant director for infrastructure security at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), told HSToday as the exercises got underway.

“Understanding how disruptions cascade across infrastructure, and the role of private industry in responding and stabilizing our systems, is particularly important in major disasters such as the one we are exercising in Shaken Fury,” he added. “This cross-sector understanding is what CISA aims to provide through the newly established Emergency Support Function #14.” That was exercised alongside FEMA and interagency partners this week for the first time.

FEMA Deputy Administrator for Resilience Dan Kaniewski encouraged retrofitting and building resiliency — declaring on Twitter that “Mitigation saves!” — as he stopped in states simulating responses along the New Madrid Seismic Zone. He lauded the strong federal-state partnership in Kentucky on Monday, and was in Tennessee on Tuesday praising the Shaken Fury team there.

“An earthquake won’t shake our strong partnership,” Kaniewski said.

DHS S&T was also on the ground in both states, incorporating the Lifeline construct into state emergency operations center processes and supporting regional information sharing by enhancing the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium portal.

We deployed our X3 FINDER and SCITI Labs UAS @tech with #USAR Task Forces from the U.S. and Canada and partnered with a dozen industry partners to show off currently available technologies for emergency response. #ShakenFury pic.twitter.com/d9pGVHnKEE

— DHS S&T (@dhsscitech) June 5, 2019

[Pt. 1] S&T funded #technology FINDER is being tested with urban search and rescue teams during the #ShakenFury exercise this week. pic.twitter.com/LQq58U8vZY

— DHS S&T (@dhsscitech) June 5, 2019

[Pt.2] We are amazed by the scope of the @fema #ShakenFury exercise, the teamwork and the sheer dedication of our #USAR and #emergencymanagement partners. We’re proud to play our part and show off our tech, like FINDER, for #firstresponders! pic.twitter.com/LQibzd0oXD

— DHS S&T (@dhsscitech) June 5, 2019

Training with #FirstNet — Search & rescue teams and incident mgmt teams at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (IN) gathered for part of 2019 #ShakenFury #earthquake exercise. First responders used @FirstNet to communicate from remote areas & create mesh networks. #FirstNetinAction pic.twitter.com/DPW0JjsxmH

— FirstNet Authority (@FirstNetGov) June 5, 2019

Adding some realism to the environment #ShakenFury pic.twitter.com/lc6MUx5f5R

— Rob Dudgeon (@rob_dudgeon) June 4, 2019

Need a shanty town and a downed helo for training? Muscatatuck, we got that. This place is a distaster playground. #ShakenFury pic.twitter.com/woHQ31txqd

— Rob Dudgeon (@rob_dudgeon) June 5, 2019

Bridget Johnson

Bridget Johnson is the Managing Editor for Homeland Security Today. A veteran journalist whose news articles and analyses have run in dozens of news outlets across the globe, Bridget first came to Washington to be online editor and a foreign policy writer at The Hill. Previously she was an editorial board member at the Rocky Mountain News and syndicated nation/world news columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News. Bridget is a terrorism analyst and security consultant with a specialty in online open-source extremist propaganda, incitement, recruitment, and training. She hosts and presents in Homeland Security Today law enforcement training webinars studying a range of counterterrorism topics including conspiracy theory extremism, complex coordinated attacks, critical infrastructure attacks, arson terrorism, drone and venue threats, antisemitism and white supremacists, anti-government extremism, and WMD threats. She is a Senior Risk Analyst for Gate 15 and a private investigator. Bridget is an NPR on-air contributor and has contributed to USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, New York Observer, National Review Online, Politico, New York Daily News, The Jerusalem Post, The Hill, Washington Times, RealClearWorld and more, and has myriad television and radio credits including Al-Jazeera, BBC and SiriusXM.

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