Earthquake prepareness refers to a variety of measures designed to help individuals, businesses, and local and state governments in earthquake prone areas to prepare for significant earthquakes. Preparedness measures are part of the emergency management cycle, and can be refined through the use of an Earthquake scenario, such as The Great Southern California ShakeOut. Awareness of historical events such as those that document the New Madrid Seismic Zone are also useful in anticipating the effects of possible future events.