WSSPC Post-Earthquake Technical Clearinghouse

The California Earthquake Clearinghouse was established by Governor Reagan's Executive Order after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. The purpose is to provide disaster response managers and the scientific and engineering communities with prompt information on ground failures, structural damage, and other impacts from major earthquakes.

Meetings are held regularly and the Management Group maintains an Operations Plan posted on the clearinghouse website at: www.eqclearinghouse.org/CA.

A flyer describing the California Earthquake Clearinghouse in more detail is available here:

2010EQClearinghouseflyer.pdf

The WSSPC Basin and Range Province Committee has modified an earlier version of California’s post-earthquake technical clearinghouse plan to create a generic model plan applicable to all Basin and Range Province states, and held a clearinghouse workshop in 2001.

Post-Earthquake Technical Clearinghouse Workshop
March 26-27, 2001, Salt Lake City, Utah

Model Post-Earthquake Technical Clearinghouse Plan (PDF)

Model Post-Earthquake Technical Clearinghouse Plan (Microsoft® Word format)
(Use this format for adapting/editing)

WSSPC Policy Recommendation 10-3 on Post-Earthquake Technical Clearinghouses states:

WSSPC recommends that each member state, province, and territory establish a plan for a post-earthquake technical clearinghouse to be activated if possible within 24 hours after each major earthquake within its jurisdiction. WSSPC also recommends that multijurisdictional agreements between and among WSSPC members and Federal agencies be in place that would allow for the establishment of a single comprehensive technical clearinghouse in the event of a large earthquake.

A physical clearinghouse was established by the Washington Military Department, Emergency Management Division after the M6.8 Nisqually earthquake in 2001.

After the Wells, Nevada M6.0 earthquake in 2008, a virtual clearinghouse website was posted by Utah and Nevada. The website is still available for viewing at http://www.nbmg.unr.edu/Geohazards/Earthquakes/WellsEQ/CH/index.html