Mary Said:

Can someone explain why the Tea Party has homophobes, anti-black people, and anti-semites?

We Answered:

That's their base.

Erin Said:

Do you think that it is right for Missouri legislators to block an attempt to regulate the puppy mills?

We Answered:

Puppy mills should be outlawed ---period.

Sheila Said:

Why did the Tea Party violently attack a black priest?

We Answered:

Bwahahah! You expect us to believe an SEIU link. Those guys are practically communists.

Donna Said:

What do you think will happen to the Midwest if the New Madrid Fault does the earthquake thing?

We Answered:

It could be a major disaster. The USGS rates the hazard in this area as high as that of the San Andreas fault zone on the west coast.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-131-02/fs-131…
The current probability of a seismic event the magnitude of the 1811 quake is 7-10% within 50 years, and for a smaller quake of 6.0 is 25-40%.

I know firsthand that much of the construction in this region is un-reinforced or partially reinforced masonry. Larger cites such as Memphis and St. Louis have lots of older multistory masonry buildings that are vulnerable in a large quake. Many of the grade schools and high schools are also concrete-block construction and were built before it was common to pour reinforcing concrete and steel into the buildings. As far as I know there have been no significant efforts to force buildings to be retrofitted as Los Angeles did in the 1980's.

I can only hope that the nearby states have made efforts to retrofit bridges, and that the Federal DOT has retrofitted the I-55 bridge, as well as those in St. Louis and Memphis.

I do know that at one time school districts in Illinois were required to practice earth quake drills and put in outside storage of emergency supplies and water. I have heard that since then they have abandoned this effort.

If you live in the area (or any other earthquake prone area) there are some easy things you can do to make your home more earthquake proof:

1. Find out if your homeowner's insurance covers earthquakes.
2. Be familiar with how to turn off your natural gas, water, and electric utilities. Consider installing an "earthquake valve" on your natural gas line. This type of valve shuts off automatically if there is shaking. It could prevent your house from burning down. Here are a few:
http://www.earthquakestore.com/gas_shut_…

3. Brace your water heater with at least two metal straps tied to a major wood stud or anchored to a concrete wall. The straps should be anchored with a wide angle extending laterally about two feet on each side of the water heater, if possible.

4. Install child-proof type latches on your overhead kitchen cabinets and other cabinets where things might fall out.

5. Anchor the top of tall furniture to a wall using a strap and anchor, or an angle bracket secured to a stud in the wall. Hanging pictures should be hung from hooks secured into studs.
Move chandeliers, tall bookshelves, and large mirrors away from beds. By the time a sleeping occupant has realized the earthquake is happening the hazard may have already fallen on the bed.

6. If you have an antenna attached to a masonry chimney, move it. Masonry chimneys should be checked and tuck-pointed if the mortar has begun to deteriorate. Be aware that masonry chimneys are very likely to shake apart in an earthquake.

Preparedness:
1. Be prepared to live without power and water for at least 72 hours. The water heater and toilet tank will supply up to 45 gallons of water if they are not damaged. Having a water purifying filter on hand is always a good idea. These camping type filters are the ones I recommend but either water purification tablets or those household water filtering kits are suitable:
http://www.rei.com/online/store/search?n…

2. Have a battery operated radio on hand, or even one of those self-powering crank units.

3. Flashlights and batteries are essential.

4. Don't expect the telephone, either land or cellular to work. If they are working, avoid using them except for emergencies as they will be overloaded.

5. Be prepared to live outdoors, preferably in a tent while there is risk of an aftershock. If your house is damaged seriously it may not be safe to re-enter.

6. Have a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit on hand.

7. Have a family plan, and plan ahead who will be responsible for helping elderly or children out of the house and the route. Know your neighborhood and the skills of your neighbors. If there are doctors or other emergency personnel in the area know how to contact them. If your family is spread out, have someone out of the area for everyone to check in with. Long distance calls will be easier than local calls.

8. Make some plans for your pets. Many pets get confused during earthquakes and get lost.

9. Keep a small camp stove handy, or at least some canned food and a manual can opener. Eat the food in your refrigerator first, then the food in the freezer. An unopened freezer will last about 3 days.

10. Apply the same concepts to your workplace. Know how you will contact the rest of your family if at work. Many emergency personnel have their entire family carry a small CB-radio because they realize they would not be able to function properly if they were uncertain about the status of their family.

11. Stay off the roads unless it is an emergency. Try to leave roads open for emergency services like ambulances and fire trucks.

If you want to read more about earthquake preparation buy or check out a copy of this book:
Yanev, Peter I. , 1991, Peace of Mind in Earthquake Country: How to Save Your Home and Life. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. 218 pp. ISBN: 0877017719
(at this moment there are 18 copies available used on Amazon.com starting at $4.25. I am sure other booksellers will have this book as well)