2008 Woodie Awards
Earthquakes: the new tornadoes?
Julie Lord
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: Opinion
Early last Friday, many Midwesterners were literally shaken from their beds as a 5.2 earthquake rattled the region. Unaccustomed as we are to these types of quakes, quite a few people didn't even seem to know what it was. I heard explanations ranging from seizures to demons - most Midwesterners have no frame of reference for that experience.
Growing up in a loving home in a wealthy suburb of Chicago, I never had any reason to worry about serious threats to my well-being. Because of this, I had to seek out something to fear. When I hit that age of irrationality known as puberty, I developed a host of unhealthy fears of natural disasters, namely, tornadoes. They seemed to happen all the time in the Midwest, and I certainly didn't want to be caught unprepared. I learned all I could about Midwestern weather patterns, knew all of The Weather Channel meteorologists by name and was the first one in the basement with a radio when the clouds rolled in.
Though I received a lot of criticism from family and friends, I soon discovered I came from a long line of paranoia. In fact, my own father's fears seemed even crazier than mine - he had a fear of earthquakes. At the time, I used this as leverage. When my parents would bang on the top of whatever desk I was hiding under and tell me I was being irrational, I'd poke my head out and say, "I'm being irrational? Dad's afraid of earthquakes, and we don't even have those here!"
Well, Dad, I suppose I have to eat my words. Turns out we do have earthquakes in the Midwest - and, given Illinois' history with quakes, you have every reason to be concerned.
Though residents of the United States tend to associate earthquakes with the West Coast, the Midwest is no less susceptible. In fact, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in the U.S. occurred along the New Madrid fault in 1812 in what is now Missouri. The quake rocked the Midwest and destroyed many towns in New Madrid County.
West Coast quakes are actually mild in comparison to what could potentially occur in the Midwest. For example, a 6.8 earthquake in Los Angeles, though damaging, would be far less destructive than an earthquake of the same size along the New Madrid fault. This is because the land is flat in the Midwest, meaning the waves can travel farther. Also, Midwestern buildings are generally not built with earthquake preparedness in mind.
Growing up in a loving home in a wealthy suburb of Chicago, I never had any reason to worry about serious threats to my well-being. Because of this, I had to seek out something to fear. When I hit that age of irrationality known as puberty, I developed a host of unhealthy fears of natural disasters, namely, tornadoes. They seemed to happen all the time in the Midwest, and I certainly didn't want to be caught unprepared. I learned all I could about Midwestern weather patterns, knew all of The Weather Channel meteorologists by name and was the first one in the basement with a radio when the clouds rolled in.
Though I received a lot of criticism from family and friends, I soon discovered I came from a long line of paranoia. In fact, my own father's fears seemed even crazier than mine - he had a fear of earthquakes. At the time, I used this as leverage. When my parents would bang on the top of whatever desk I was hiding under and tell me I was being irrational, I'd poke my head out and say, "I'm being irrational? Dad's afraid of earthquakes, and we don't even have those here!"
Well, Dad, I suppose I have to eat my words. Turns out we do have earthquakes in the Midwest - and, given Illinois' history with quakes, you have every reason to be concerned.
Though residents of the United States tend to associate earthquakes with the West Coast, the Midwest is no less susceptible. In fact, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in the U.S. occurred along the New Madrid fault in 1812 in what is now Missouri. The quake rocked the Midwest and destroyed many towns in New Madrid County.
West Coast quakes are actually mild in comparison to what could potentially occur in the Midwest. For example, a 6.8 earthquake in Los Angeles, though damaging, would be far less destructive than an earthquake of the same size along the New Madrid fault. This is because the land is flat in the Midwest, meaning the waves can travel farther. Also, Midwestern buildings are generally not built with earthquake preparedness in mind.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Troglodyte
Kris Moore
posted 4/23/08 @ 11:09 AM CST
I saw a show on the Discovery Channel about Yellowstone Park, which is sitting on top of the largest volcano in the Americas. If it blows all of America could be devastated. (Continued…)
kimy
Kim
posted 4/24/08 @ 2:58 PM CST
I couldn't help but notice your article, not only because I am a WIU alum, but also because I am a geologist.
I do realize this is an opinion column, but you might want to check your information before publishing it and giving people the wrong information. (Continued…)
Bob Johnson
posted 4/26/08 @ 3:09 PM CST
Being a emergency manager, i watch the earthquake situation carefully. Many small towns and cities have old coal mine shafts underneath them, and a powerful earthquake would cause these to collapse, compounding the problem. (Continued…)
AngelD
posted 4/29/08 @ 1:14 AM CST
I think one of the problems in our area is that we are so unused to earthquakes that though there are things you can do to protect yourself during one, for most people in this region, it takes awhile for it to sink in what's really happening and take action. (Continued…)
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