FEMA Friends Will Be Gone "For Some Time

I have two friends who both work for FEMA here in Illinois. I periodically touch base with them to see what's going on in the state and in the nation. These guys have worked all over from 9/11 to Katrina to Joplin tornadoes this past year. Both of these guys I have know for about 9 years now and have always been on the up and up with me.
In past meetings they've always said that if they deemed it necessary, no matter what, they would care enough to tell their closest friends and family if something was coming down the pipe.
Well, yesterday I stopped by to chat for a bit while out and about. I seriously don't want to give too many clues to whom they may be. There are things I could mention that if the right person where to pick up on this, they would be found without a doubt. In any case, we were standing in the kitchen shooting the bull and I asked them " don't you guys get enough of each other at work that you hang out when your home too..?" They told me they were leaving tonight for "some time" down to the Illinois-Missouri-Tennessee area. I asked them what was going on and was told that if what happens that they think is going to happen, it's going to be a big quagmire. They said that they've been training for many months on the fault zone of New Madrid and that it could happen sooner than later.
I got this big lump in my throat. "So a big earthquake possibly?" He said if this thing "breaks loose" like they've predicted, it will bring massive casualties to big cities in the midwest including Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, Louisville, etc. Natural gas pipelines will rupture causing uncontrolled fires along with several nuke plants taking massive damage as well. They said that the massive chaos could be enough to declare a Marshal Law situation. Many communications will be down so the panic of not knowing whats going on will cause widespread looting and disorder. The power grid will certainly be affected as well.
This is my first thread, so please folks, what do you think about this?? I trust these guys 110% because they're very good friends and they're family men. They really don't even like the government that they work for.
I left there very frightened and tense. I have no reason to believe ever that they would make this up. They're straight up people, they just work for the wrong side.
Does anyone think there is any validity to the subject besides myself? Any threads lately backing what they're claiming??
Please, go easy on me, I'm not a fear mongerer, just a father and a husband who cares about his family and the people that surround me.