5.2 Quake Strikes a Surprised Midwest, Rattling Homes and Nerves from Illinois to Florida

A 5.2 earthquake rattled parts of Illinois and beyond early Friday morning. The quake, which was the largest to strike the region in over 40 years, shook homes and businesses and gave residents in the area an unexpected wake up call. The temblor is a reminder that quakes can strike suddenly, without warning, and in areas not commonly thought of as “earthquake country”. Scientists have been warning residents in the Midwest that they were in fact well overdue for such a quake, however, warnings such as these often go unheeded, especially in areas where earthquakes don’t regularly occur. Though scientists classify quakes in this area as “infrequent, but not unexpected”, such a rare geologic event raises some serious questions and issues (sciencedaily.com, cnn.com).

One clear problem is that residents in the Midwest are ill prepared to deal with the effects of a major earthquake. No more than residents of Southern California are ready for a major blizzard, residents of the Midwest might not know how to prepare for a natural disaster that most have never experienced. One important thing to remember is that an earthquake, unlike a storm or tornado, will strike without warning and affect a widespread area all at once. It’s critical that you have a broad stock of earthquake supplies with you at all times. Make sure to keep an earthquake kit or any other survival kit with you in the car and at the home or office. Residents should also research earthquakes and earthquake preparedness to find out the best ways to deal with an earthquake before, during, and after it has struck. Scientists are also quick to point out that such quakes have negative effects on the areas geology, particularly the New Madrid seismic zone; the main fault system in the area that unleashed a series of severe quakes in 1811 and 1812. Researchers say that a quake like the one that just occurred could end up being a catalyst for bigger quakes in the area. This is a problem since earthquakes that strike east of the Mississippi are notoriously more widespread than ones that occur out West. This is in part because the earth’s crust is thicker; less fractured, and has much deeper sediment in this region of the country, causing any quakes that occur to “ring like a bell” (cnn.com). All of these issues combine to paint a scary picture of what can happen in an area that is not required to build with strict earthquake standards and has limited or incomplete knowledge of how to prepare for, deal with, and respond to a major earthquake.

Luckily for those who experienced the recent quake, damage was minimal and there were no major injuries reported, but such a unique quake has given residents food for thought. Many are realizing that they must review their emergency plans and make sure that they have a stock of earthquake supplies to cover any other disasters they might be concerned about. An earthquake kit might contain items specifically designed to deal with the aftermath of a quake, as opposed to a standard survival kit that might be created to deal with another type of emergency. People all over the country need to realize that emergency preparedness also means earthquake preparedness; the two are not mutually exclusive. Real preparedness means being ready to deal with a variety of disasters and being able to adapt your supplies to each situation. That’s why it is so important to make sure that you and your stock of supplies will be able to deal with whatever nature, or man, throws at you.

By Jon Stoll
QuakeKare Press
April 29th 2008

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