The Honorable Your Congressman
Some Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Whoever:

We are writing to support the Advanced National Seismic Research and Monitoring System (NSS) as authorized in HR1184. This system, as proposed in U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1188, will employ modern technology and methods to improve the understanding of earthquake hazards, better plan disaster resistant communities, and improve the knowledge base needed to design building codes intelligently, deploy emergency services strategically, and inform the public rapidly. The current 1970's system was designed at a time when the almost exclusive purpose of it was scientific research. We now have the capability to provide near-real-time information of value to the public, emergency managers, structural engineers, scientists and others. Former Seismological Society of America president, Ralph Archuleta, succinctly described the situation as equivalent to listening to a monophonic record with a 20-year old needle in a time when we can enjoy stereo recordings on digitally mastered CDs. Further, real-time data adds a level of excitement to public outreach and education. Students and the public (and the scientists themselves) become involved in the science when they are able to observe the small vibrations from earthquakes around the globe as they happen. This leads to animated discussions of geoscience, chemistry, physics, engineering, psychology, and sociology, and motivates people to prepare for emergencies.

The New Madrid and Southern Appalachian seismic zones place the Memphis-Dyersburg and Knoxville-Chattanooga corridors, respectively, at risk. The Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) is a Tennessee Board of Regents Center of Excellence at the University of Memphis, operates over 100 seismic stations in 8 states, and is a core institution of the Mid-America Earthquake Center. CERI and its partners have recently put significant resources into our monitoring efforts in these areas but available resources limit what is possible, and our obsolete hardware would not provide the necessary data in the event of a large earthquake. The House Bill authorizes $38 million for FY2001 yet the President's budget only includes $2.5 million. While the $2.5 million can be used to improve the some existing hardware, without full funding the necessary infrastructure to provide the intended products can not be realized. Please contact us if we can be of service or provide further information on this important issue.

Sincerely,

You