Wicker Joins EarthQuake Preparedness Effort
WICKER JOINS EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS EFFORT
By Congressman Roger F. Wicker
Hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods strike our state quite often, but it may be surprising to learn that Mississippi could also be at risk for a major earthquake. I have joined colleagues from four other states in the Mid-South in an effort to strengthen our emergency preparedness should such a natural disaster occur.
The goal of our New Madrid Earthquake Congressional Working Group is to help communities update plans, communications, and secure the equipment to meet this challenge. The issue received more attention last week when the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing in St. Louis to discuss ways to ensure an effective federal response to a major earthquake in the region.
Geologists say the highest earthquake danger in the U.S., outside the west coast, is along the New Madrid Seismic Zone. This 150-mile long fault line begins in southern Illinois and runs south and west through New Madrid, Missouri, to Marked Tree, Arkansas. It also extends into Kentucky and Tennessee. Many portions of Mississippi could suffer serious damage should a major New Madrid earthquake strike. Some experts predict that the destruction along the fault could cover more than 20 times the land area experienced in a California quake because of the underlying geology.
BIG QUAKES HAVE HIT REGION
Tremors registering just over 1.0 on the Richter scale occur at least 20 times a month in the New Madrid Zone. Such small events cause no damage and are recorded only by seismic instruments. Every 18 months or so, a shock of 4.0 or greater occurs. These events can break dishes or windows. There is reason to be concerned that a bigger and potentially devastating earthquake may be looming.
In the early 1800s, four of the largest quakes in U.S. history occurred in our region over a three month period. The events were estimated to have the magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale and represented the largest burst of seismic energy ever recorded east of the Rocky Mountains. A magnitude 8.0 quake can destroy buildings and cause major devastation over wide areas.
Newspapers reported the disturbances changed the course of the Mississippi River with the shocks felt as far away as New York City. Loss of life and property were low only because the area was sparsely populated. A similar event today could cause significant casualties, property damage, and disrupt commerce throughout the Mid-South.
CATASTROPHIC EVENT POSSIBLE
In a June 2005 article in the science journal Nature, scientists from the University of Memphis reported finding serious deterioration along two separate fault lines within the New Madrid Zone. They concluded there was at least a 10 percent chance of a catastrophic magnitude 8.0 quake striking the region over the next 50 years. Other experts project there is a 90 percent chance that a magnitude 6.0 quake will hit the area by 2040. One scientist said even a moderate earthquake would shake a seven-state region "like a bowl of Jello." Bridges, highways, commercial and residential structures, and wide-ranging essential services could be severely affected.
Predicting earthquakes is an inexact science. The earth may continue to shift along these fault lines for years to come with little notice. But it is prudent to heed the caution of the U.S. Geological Survey that "strong earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone are certain to occur in the future."
http://www.house.gov/wicker/Earthquake.htm