Kiosk to highlight earthquake safety

Emergency preparedness officials plan to unveil an interactive kiosk aimed at educating the public on earthquake safety, developed in part by a Southern Illinois University Carbondale researcher.

Harvey Henson, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction at SIU and manager of the project, said the kiosk will raise awareness about earthquakes and the need for mitigation efforts in the region.

“The earthquake information kiosk has been an exciting project to direct,” Henson said in a news release.

“This collaboration, to produce the first-ever earthquake information kiosk for the Midwest, will undoubtedly educate people regarding the earthquake threat and hopefully save lives and mitigate potential damage if a large earthquake were to occur.”

Officials plan to open the kiosk at an event set for 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the Southern Illinois Science Center, which is located at University Mall in Carbondale.

Later that evening, the science center will host an earthquake-themed presentation by SIU and other experts from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium.

That event begins with light refreshments at 5:45 p.m. with presentations starting at 6 p.m.

The project is a collaboration among IEMA and the CUSEC, with funding support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Motorola Solutions Foundation.

The kiosk was developed by a team of earthquake experts, including Henson and Scott Hodgson at the University of Oklahoma.

The kiosk is the first of its kind for the Midwest and features information about earthquake hazards that affect Illinois, earthquake safety and ways to protect homes and businesses from earthquake damage.

“We are all very grateful to CUSEC and IEMA for making this project possible, a huge success, and for selecting Carbondale and the Science Center as the host,” Henson said.