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abcdefg
Valued Member Joined: September 19 2008 Status: Offline Points: 578 |
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Posted: November 21 2008 at 12:47pm |
US Warns of Possible 'Catastrophic' QuakeReuters
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Nov. 20) – People in a vast seismic zone in the southern and midwestern United States would face catastrophic damage if a major earthquake struck there and should ensure that builders keep that risk in mind, a government report said on Thursday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said if earthquakes strike in what geologists define as the New Madrid Seismic Zone, they would cause "the highest economic losses due to a natural disaster in the United States."
FEMA predicted a large earthquake would cause "widespread and catastrophic physical damage" across Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee -- home to some 44 million people.
Tennessee is likely to be hardest hit, according to the study that sought to gauge the impact of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in order to guide the government's response.
In Tennessee alone, it forecast hundreds of collapsed bridges, tens of thousands of severely damaged buildings and a half a million households without water.
Transportation systems and hospitals would be wrecked, and police and fire departments impaired, the study said.
The zone, named for the town of New Madrid in Missouri's southeast corner, is subject to frequent mild earthquakes.
Experts have long tried to predict the likelihood of a major quake like those that struck in 1811 and 1812. These shifted the course of the Mississippi River and rang church bells on the East Coast but caused few deaths amid a sparse population.
"People who live in these areas and the people who build in these areas certainly need to take into better account that at some time there is ... expected to be a catastrophic earthquake in that area, and they'd better be prepared for it," said FEMA spokesperson Mary Margaret Walker. Copyright 2008, Reuters
2008-11-20 22:37:18 |
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abcdefg
Valued Member Joined: September 19 2008 Status: Offline Points: 578 |
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Fema is now warning about this. I have heard about it long ago. No one has ever implied it is so serious that folks should be warned and prepared. I always believe prepartion is a good thing. The whole article and being on the front page of AOL today, made me wonder if something is known. I thought for those living in this area, they should see it. My daugther, son in law and grandson, live in MO. So I sent it to them.
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PrepGirl
Admin Group Joined: May 31 2007 Status: Offline Points: 1629 |
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Thanks abcdefg for posting this. It will be good for all to see.
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PrepGirl
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waterboy
Valued Member Joined: January 21 2008 Status: Offline Points: 8170 |
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Keep your eyes on this...
Recent Earthquakes in Central USDisclaimerThere are 193 earthquakes on this map. Did you feel it? - Please fill out a felt report (even if you didn't feel it). For Other earthquakes: USGS Other Information:
How do earthquakes get on these maps? || FAQ's || Disclaimer Data Sources:
Central U.S. - Cooperative Central and Southeast U.S. Seismic Network CERI/SLU/VPI/USC = Center for Earthquake Research and Information
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waterboy
Valued Member Joined: January 21 2008 Status: Offline Points: 8170 |
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