The devastating earthquake in Haiti is a sober reminder that Arkansas sits on top of the New Madrid Fault, a major seismic zone and the source of earthquake within the tectonic plate in the southern and Midwestern U.S. The U.S,. Department of Interior is giving UALR a $450,000 grant to establish an Earthquake Observatory, directed by Dr. Haydar Al-Shukri, to establish monitoring sensors across the south and central.

In a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor, Dr. Al-Shukri said everyone in the region should be prepared in the event of a major quake.