Central Missouri may not be the first place you might think of as a potential earthquake site, but some experts and emergency management teams are urging citizens to prepare.
Camden County Emergency Management director Denise Russell said disaster can strike at any time and any place. Those who are prepared will be the least likely to panic and most likely to survive.
“There are fault lines in every state; four in Camden County,” she said. “They are very close to the surface, but they are there.”
Russell said the last earthquake in the lake area was small, less than a magnitude of 4.0 on the Richter scale, occurring in 2003.
The Richter scale, developed in 1935 by Charles F. Richter, determines the magnitude of the earthquake by measuring the amplitude of seismic waves.
“But we are very close to one of the nation’s largest fault lines - the New Madrid (Seismic Zone),” she said. “This fault has a lot of action, lots of small tremors, which means nothing close to 4.0.”
However, this fault caused the Mississippi River to change course in the 1812 earthquake, Russell said, and the quake – which eyewitnesses described as the earth roaring – could be felt from the Midwest to the East Coast.
Although they did not have the measurement capabilities that they do now, she said that earthquake has been estimated to be about 7.9. The fault line has the potential to reach that level of intensity again.
Russell said faults across the world have been more active in recent years and many scientists believe it’s only a matter of time before the New Madrid fault rears its head again.
“It’s like anything else in nature,” she said. “You have something that builds up that much stress for such a long period of time and at some point it’s going to let go.
“Because of the rock type and soil here, a New Madrid earthquake will possibly be more disastrous than other parts of the country.”
Two phenomena associated with earthquakes in this region are liquefaction and sand blowholes, she said.
Liquefaction is a process seen at river basins where the soil becomes like quicksand. Blowholes are gas pockets that blow hot sand out of the ground that Russell said was common in the 1812 earthquake.
Earthquakes, unlike many weather-related natural disasters, have no warning signs or indicators, she said, and many people in the Midwest aren’t prepared for such an event.
And preparedness, she said, is key to surviving.
Getting prepared
Russell, who came to the lake from California, said she still keeps a footlocker with her disaster kit packed, along with a backpack in her car.
“Earthquakes are different than other disasters because they are often catastrophic,” she said. “When there’s so much damage and destruction, emergency response crews can’t get to you; you could be two weeks without power or water.
“If Wal-Mart has collapsed, you can’t get anything there, if you can even get there.”
Disaster kits can be used for any number of natural disasters lake residents might encounter, Russell said, including tornadoes, ice storms and floods. It should be kept in an area that you will likely be able to access if the house has collapsed, such as a closet or enclosed structure.
Additionally, people with special medical needs, such as those on dialysis or oxygen tanks, should alert the emergency management team in case there is a disaster.
“If we know who those people are and where they are, we can respond much more quickly to them to provide oxygen or other medical care.”
Know what to do
Knowing what to do during an earthquake will also be beneficial. Doorways and underneath strong, heavy tables are ideal locations to take cover. If you are in an open-span building, go outside, Russell said.
Medical emergencies are sure to follow with any catastrophic event, so having awareness, first-aid and CPR training may come in handy.
“You might just save your neighbor’s life,” she said.
Emergency Management offers a 20- to 40-hour CERT program for people 18 and older to train them for disaster events. It is a community-based program, so the person will be called upon to assist their community in crisis.
The program is not regularly scheduled, Russell said, but once they get 15 to 20 people interested, they will coordinate a week to train them. Civic and church groups are also welcome to schedule training.
For those who don’t have the physical capacity to take the course, Russell said they have awareness and preparedness programs to educate the general public. The next one will be scheduled in April.
For the younger citizens, such as scout groups, a modified program can be arranged as well.
Russell can be reached at 346-7108.
FEMA disaster kit
(partial listing)
Food and water to sustain you for 96 hours
First-aid supplies
Clothing, bedding and sanitation supplies
Mess kit (paper cups, plates, utensils),
Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries,
Flashlight and extra batteries
Cash or traveler’s check and change
Nonelectric can opener and utility knife
Tent
Matches in a waterproof container
Signal flare
Map of area
Medication
Important family documents (passports, IDs, emergency contact information, birth, death and marriage records)
Entertainment, games or books
Contact this reporter at trysta.eakin@lakemediaonline.com
Editor's note: Due to reporting and copy editing errors, the Missouri River was incorrectly named as the waterway affected by the 1812 earthquake. It has since been changed to correctly identify that as the Mississippi. The Lake Sun apologizes for the inconvenience and thanks readers for bringing the error to our attention.
