Earthquakes may be rare in Arizona, but they do happen. Hundreds occur in and around the state each year. “Arizona does have earthquakes. Faults in Arizona and neighboring states are capable of delivering large magnitude earthquakes that impact Arizonans,” Mike Conway, Chief of the Geologic Extension Service at the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) said.

It was a typical summer day in July 2010 when monsoon storm clouds moved into the Flagstaff area. Skies darkened, thunder started to rumble and rain began to fall. Two inches of rain fell on the steep terrain of the Schultz Fire burn area in 30 minutes.

When a disaster hits or a governmental agency has some information to publicize, it is often up to a Public Information Officer (PIO) to write press releases, post information to social media, and stand in front of the television cameras to talk to the community.