You could always move here to St. Louis. We’ve got the New Madrid Fault in southeast Missouri and I recently saw an article saying something to the effect that when the next big quake out of that hits, which we’re overdue for, we could see the most economically-devastating natural disaster this country has ever seen. 🙂
Christopher #4, when we lived for a time in southeast Iowa we looked closely at earthquake damage probability maps for insurance purposes. People in the New Madrid fault risk area (and this is huge) should be looking at their owner’s or renter’s policies to see whether they will be covered. If I lived in St Louis or Memphis I’d definitely take earthquake coverage.
I think that’s the reason why damage from a New Madrid big one would be so great, Katherine. When they build houses or when people move here or there(I know I didn’t think about it; Lord knows, my apartment complex would probably fold like a house of cards), nobody here thinks about earthquakes and I would think that the people in the mid-Mississippi Valley who have earthquake coverage must be miniscule.
It’s funny, after I moved to TX from western WA, I thought I’d be safe from earthquakes (and right into Tornado Alley O.o), but last month there was a teensy one here in the DFW area, I think it was centered near the airport.
Then again, I was in the Sylmar Quake in 6th grade, 3 significant LA quakes in the mid-’80s, then (having moved to Berkeley for seminary) the Loma Prieta (San Francisco) Quake of ’89. (I was so excited to finally have a big earthquake that didn’t serve as the morning alarm clock.) Apparently by then I’d developed “quake legs,” for I never felt any of the aftershocks, while for months my North Dakota dormmates would blanch every time I’d mindlessly wiggle my foot against the back of the davenport while we were watching [i]Star Trek:TNG[/i] in the TV lounge.
Early one morning this April came the New Salem, Illinois, 5.2 quake as I was at home just beginning my recovery from surgery. Just a little temblor but, after 15 years in Peoria, for the first time I woke up thinking I was really at “home.”
I think it’s the sound of an entire house shaking well below its foundation…
See the stats here:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/us2008arar.php
[i] There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as being shot at and missed [/i] —Winston Churchill
As a confirmed fault finder, I find you to be not at fault, except perhaps in your faulty choice of residence.
You could always move here to St. Louis. We’ve got the New Madrid Fault in southeast Missouri and I recently saw an article saying something to the effect that when the next big quake out of that hits, which we’re overdue for, we could see the most economically-devastating natural disaster this country has ever seen. 🙂
Christopher #4, when we lived for a time in southeast Iowa we looked closely at earthquake damage probability maps for insurance purposes. People in the New Madrid fault risk area (and this is huge) should be looking at their owner’s or renter’s policies to see whether they will be covered. If I lived in St Louis or Memphis I’d definitely take earthquake coverage.
I think that’s the reason why damage from a New Madrid big one would be so great, Katherine. When they build houses or when people move here or there(I know I didn’t think about it; Lord knows, my apartment complex would probably fold like a house of cards), nobody here thinks about earthquakes and I would think that the people in the mid-Mississippi Valley who have earthquake coverage must be miniscule.
Yowzah!
That is why I am happy to live in PA. These things very rarely happen.
It’s funny, after I moved to TX from western WA, I thought I’d be safe from earthquakes (and right into Tornado Alley O.o), but last month there was a teensy one here in the DFW area, I think it was centered near the airport.
3.6? That’s not an earthquake.
Then again, I was in the Sylmar Quake in 6th grade, 3 significant LA quakes in the mid-’80s, then (having moved to Berkeley for seminary) the Loma Prieta (San Francisco) Quake of ’89. (I was so excited to finally have a big earthquake that didn’t serve as the morning alarm clock.) Apparently by then I’d developed “quake legs,” for I never felt any of the aftershocks, while for months my North Dakota dormmates would blanch every time I’d mindlessly wiggle my foot against the back of the davenport while we were watching [i]Star Trek:TNG[/i] in the TV lounge.
Early one morning this April came the New Salem, Illinois, 5.2 quake as I was at home just beginning my recovery from surgery. Just a little temblor but, after 15 years in Peoria, for the first time I woke up thinking I was really at “home.”
I think it’s the sound of an entire house shaking well below its foundation…
Well, ,there is a whole lot of shaking going on.
bb
South Carolina may be as earthquake prone as Missouri. There was a terrible earthquake in Charleston in 1886:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_earthquake