Internet tools are making it easier than ever for people to share real-time information about how they were affected by such disasters as earthquakes, tornadoes and wildfires.
The most recent example comes from the 3.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled north central Indiana on Dec. 30. While this wasn't a catastrophic event, it was an example of how technology can help identify the hardest hit areas.
Nearly 10,000 residents in 1,166 ZIP codes used an online reporting tool to alert the U.S. Geological Survey of how severe the shaking was in their respective Indiana neighborhoods. Fortunately, the majority of reports were of weak to light shaking, according to the USGS.
The earthquake was centered just east of Kokomo, Ind., about 57 miles north of Indianapolis. It occurred about 3 miles underground and could be felt as far south as Indianapolis, as far east as Dayton, Ohio and as far northwest as Elgin, Ill., about 40 miles outside Chicago.
Calling the earthquake “extremely rare and unprecedented,” John Steinmetz, director of the Indiana Geological Survey at Indiana University in Bloomington, told the Christian Science Monitor there have not been any earthquakes of similar magnitude in northern Indiana in 175 years. Mr. Steinmetz added that it demonstrates how little is known about the earth’s structure in that region of the country.
Seismologists do not think the Dec. 30 earthquake involved the nearby Wabash Valley Fault line, but said it may be connected to the Sharpsville Fault Line, located just north of Indianapolis.
Whether the earthquake was an isolated event or an indicator of a fault zone becoming active, "we can’t say we know that for sure simply because we don’t know how deep the faults are,” Steinmetz says. One of the reasons why so little is known is the lack of adequate equipment; primarily sophisticated seismic recording instruments.
One of the nation’s most dangerous fault zones lies in the Midwest. The New Madrid fault line, named after the small town in southeast Missouri and covering areas of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi, was responsible for several earthquakes in the early 19th century. Although several minor quakes have occurred along the New Madrid fault over the years, the last major disruption was in the 1811-1812 winter when a succession of four earthquakes over three months famously caused the Mississippi River to temporarily flow backward and had aftershocks travel as far as Boston and Toronto.
In 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that because earthquake preparedness is relatively minimal compared with California and the Pacific Northwest, another quake of that magnitude could cause “the highest economic losses due to a natural disaster in the United States.” In recognition of this year's bicentennial of the New Madrid Earthquake, the Institute for Business & Home Safety is partnering with a number of organizations to promote greater awareness of the affordable things residents can do to prepare for an earthquake.
Although it doesn't appear any major damage resulted from the recent earthquake, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security is encouraging residents to check their homes and businesses for any visible damage. When inspecting the property, look for any new or widened cracks in floors, masonry or walls and also check to be sure utility lines and boxes have not been damaged.
