Holy shake rattle and roll batman!

[rayneinspain]

The two earthquakes we had I will gladly take over any tornado event. To my knowledge, no one was killed and no homes were leveled.

I moved from the Seattle area to Connersville over a year ago--and with every tornado warning, my blood pressure skyrockets. They're dangerous, and I'm all too aware of it.

So, when my house jolted at 5:38am...well, first thought that came to mind was "omg--tornado"...until it just kept on shaking. Earthquake! I was a little startled, but for the most part nonplussed. I never bothered to get up out of bed to get in the doorway. Then, at 11:18am, I felt the aftershock/2nd quake. Less intense...and more of a rolling/wave sensation.

To be honest, it made me a little homesick lol. My 14-year-old daughter is still a bit ticked off that she missed them both.

And just in case anyone thought the midwest was immune to seismic activity, you might want to check out the following links:

List of Recent Earthquakes for Central US

Central US Archives 2007-08 (http://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/shake/cus/archives.html - broken link)

And especially:

The Mississippi Valley-"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"

And some food for thought:

--A 4.0 earthquake has the equivalent of 1 kiloton of seismic energy

--Friday's quake, a 5.2, had the seismic energy of 168 kilotons

--The February 2001 Nisqually quake in the Pacific NW registered as a 6.8--and was the equivalent of 5.7 MEGATONS (5700 kilotons) of seismic energy

--The 1811 New Madrid earthquake in New Madrid, MO is estimated at an 8.0 magnitude--equivalent to 1 GIGATON (or 1,000,000 kilotons)

Yes...I'm a science geek.

[domergurl]

While I appreciate you're willingness to go through earthquakes moreso than tornados ... you cannot forget, THE MIDWEST ISN'T BUILT FOR EARTHQUAKES. Our buildings don't adhere to codes like they do out west. So, yes, this was a little'un, BUT, if the big one comes ... you'll wish it was a tornado because the devastation will be horrendous.

[ImGibby]

I think it was the 1811 quake that mad the Mississippi River run backwards for I want to say 3 days? Yes the threat of a catastrophic earthwuake in the midwest is very real, they have warned of this for years now, but with such little activity everyones attitude is pretty much "yeah whetever". Now, I think everyone just got a reality check.

It will be the talk of the town for a few weeks, and then everyone will drift back into complacency....and we shouldn't. I'm not saying we all need to panic needlessly, but educating yourself about how to respond and what to do in an earthquake as well as developing an "earthquake plan", (much like your "Fire Plan" & "Tornado Plan" that your supposed to have ) would be something that a prudent person would do. Learning what you can do to earthquake proof your house, and of course earthquake insurance to protect your innvestment(s). Besides that, there is nothing much more we can do, the rest is out of our control. Go on with life.

Here is an intersing article on WTHR's website that discuss the seriousness and probability of a much larger quake rocking the midwest, and why a large quke in the midwest is so much more concerning than one in let's say Cali. WTHR - Indianapolis News and Weather - Scientists say Midwest quakes poorly understood

[rayneinspain]

Originally Posted by domergurl

While I appreciate you're willingness to go through earthquakes moreso than tornados ... you cannot forget, THE MIDWEST ISN'T BUILT FOR EARTHQUAKES. Our buildings don't adhere to codes like they do out west. So, yes, this was a little'un, BUT, if the big one comes ... you'll wish it was a tornado because the devastation will be horrendous.

We'll have to agree to disagree LOL.

The NW is not completely up to code either; in fact many structures had heavy damage after the 2001 earthquake, and others are still being considered for demolition (like the Alaskan Way Viaduct--similar to the double-decker freeway that collapsed in San Francisco). The USGS has been sending out warnings throughout the midwest for many years to shore up existing construction and make new construction more secure.