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New Madrid Fault Is Waking Up

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A Sleeping Disaster In The Delta

The recent earthquake which struck Kobe, Japan, resulted in the loss of over 5000 lives and millions of dollars in property. However, large parts of the United States are also subject to large magnitude quakes - quakes which could be far more powerful than the Kobe quake! Although we tend to think of California and Alaska as the places where most of our earthquakes occur, the fact is that the central U.S. has been the site of some very powerful earthquakes. Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky are at risk of a major earthquake along the New Madrid Fault any day.

America's Risk New Madrid Fault Lines Quake Divide the U.S.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

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Earthquake? What Earthquake?

I Always Wondered Where That Lake Came From

New Madrid Quake MapIn the past three centuries, major earthquakes outside of California and Alaska generally occurred in sparsely-settled areas, and damage and fatalities were largely minimal. But some took place in areas that have since been heavily built up. Among them are three earthquakes that occurred in 1811 and 1812 near New Madrid, MO. They are among the Great earthquakes of known history, affecting the topography more than any other earthquake on the North American continent. Judging from their effects, they were of a magnitude of 8.0 or higher on the Richter Scale. They were felt over the entire United States outside of the Pacific coast. Large areas sank into the earth, new lakes were formed, the course of the Mississippi River was changed, and forests were destroyed over an area of 150,000 acres. Many houses at New Madrid were thrown down. "Houses, gardens, and fields were swallowed up" one source notes. But fatalities and damage were low, because the area was sparsely settled then.

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What You Don't Know Can't Hurt You, Right?

Now For A Short Public Service Announcement

Earthquake graphicThe probability for an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or greater is significant in the near future, with a 50% chance by the year 2000 (yep, we are past that mark) and a 90% chance by the year 2040. A quake with a magnitude equal to that of the 1811- 1812 quakes could result in great loss of life and property damage in the billions of dollars. Scientists believe we could be overdue for a large earthquake and through research and public awareness may be able to prevent such losses.

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Speak No Evil

Not In My Backyard

New Madrid MapLos Angeles can expect to be mightily damaged by movement on the San Andreas Fault, or the Newport-Inglewood or other neighboring faults, most probably within the next 25 years. But the Eastern and Midwestern states also face ground shaking of colossal proportions, repetitions of such known upheavals as the 1886 Charleston, S.C., quake, the 1755 Boston quake, and the Jamaica Bay quake hundreds of years ago on New York's Long Island. The granddaddy of them all was the 1811-1812 series of three great quakes on the New Madrid Fault (halfway between St. Louis and Memphis beneath the Mississippi), which shook the entire United States. The next time the New Madrid Fault produces such a quake, it is estimated 60 percent of Memphis will be devastated, leaving $50 Billion in damage and thousands of dead in its wake. Memphis, you see - like Armenia - has looked down the barrel of a loaded seismic gun for decades, but has done virtually nothing to move out of the crosshairs.

Earthquake Preparedness Kits

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Very Few Homeowners Have Earthquake Insurance

Don't Wait For A Shake, Rattle, And Roll

EarthquakeConventional home and business insurance coverage does not cover the damage caused by ground-shaking in an earthquake. A 2007 study by Risk Management Solutions looked at the potential costs of a replay of the last major quake in Southern California - the 7.9-magnitude Fort Tejon quake, which hit near Bakersfield in 1857. It found a repeat of that quake would cause $150 billion in damage to homes, businesses and industries - more than the damage cost from Hurricane Katrina- with only about $15 billion to $25 billion covered by insurance.

Earthquake insurance is even more of an afterthought away from the Pacific Coast, but the magnitude-5.8 earthquake in Virginia on Aug. 23 showed that the rest of the country isn't immune from earthquakes. According to the American Insurance Association, about 90% of the U.S. population lives in areas that are seismically active.

November 5, 2011 Earthquakes

New Madrid Area

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Google News

Area Guard troops prepare for quake drill
The field training is preparation for a planned Guard response in the event of a catastrophic earthquake along the New Madrid Fault in the southeastern part of the state. Though the drill is several months away, the 1-129th Field Artillery Battalion, ...
Lessons From Past Earthquakes and Implications For Today and The Future
2) By comparison, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake was felt moderately over a much smaller area and a repeat event is expected soon. The New Madrid Seismic Zone consists of reactivated faults that formed when North America began to split during the ...
Dayton gets quake shake on Tuesday
by GREG KAYLOR, Banner Staff Writer THIS SATELLITE view from Google Maps pinpoints the origin of a small earthquake which hit Rhea County Tuesday morning. A portion of Dayton was awakened Tuesday morning when a small earthquake shook the ground.
United Fire 1st-quarter profit soars, reducing earthquake exposure [The ...
Ramlo said United Fire Group is taking steps to substantially reduce potential losses from earthquakes around the New Madrid Fault. "While our earthquake exposure has modeled very favorably, past lessons have taught us not to rely solely on the models ...
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Massive Earthquake Could Happen Tomorrow - TWC
Weather Channel Link about New Madrid Fault
Strongest Earthquake On Record Strikes Oklahoma
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