OMG... The what if scenario of a major quake in the U.S.
Posted:
(May 15, 2008 12:04 am)
I could imagine what a 7.9 quake would do to the U.S. If the New Madrid Fault were to have a 7.9, then the Midwest would suffer tremendously. Memphis and St. Louis would be destroyed, not to mention other cities being severly damaged such as Nashville, Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville, Lexington, and Cincinnati just to name a few. There would total disruption in communications and transportation, not to mention how many people could die or be injured.
Other areas are also just as prone to an earthquake, such as Charleston, SC, Boston, New York, and especially the West Coast. If a major quake were to strike a smaller fault rather than the San Andreas Fault, the impacts could be much more devestating. San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, and Anchorage have a great chance of witnessing an earthquake with a magnitude 8.0 or higher.
Also, Reno, Nevada has had several micro quakes since February, up to 400 or more, with a 4.5 to 4.9 quake hitting west of Reno a few weeks ago. Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the U.S, behind California and Alaska.
The last major city to experience a major earthquake directly was Seattle a few years ago, not to mention the Northridge Earthquake in L.A. in 1994, and the Loma Preita Earthquake of 1989 that struck San Francisco during the World Series.
Would our government be ready to handle a disaster of this magnitude, not to mention what type of building codes are in place for every city? Sooner or later, a major earthquake will hit the United States. We can only hope that people know what to do in the event of an earthquake, and what to expect after an earthquake.
While studying weather, I study earthquakes and earthquake activity as well.
