Saturday, in case you missed it, was death and destruction day on the Sy-Fy cable channel. Since I was home nursing a sick 7-year-old and we couldn’t go out to play in the snow, I tuned in.
I watched a movie called “10.5: Apocalypse”, which was a 2006 television miniseries. It’s one of those catastrophe movies that feature numerous actors and actresses you’ve never heard of.
This one was different in one way, however; it was really long, about five hours.
As the title implies, it started with a 10.5 earthquake that hit the west coast, and was then followed by a series of volcanoes, earthquakes and other catastrophic events that finally culminated with the continent’s tectonic plates shifting, which created two continents.
Not exactly inspiring cinema, but it was something to watch while playing with toy cars with a boy who didn’t have his usual overabundance of energy.
For those of us afflicted with an over-active imagination, it also raised possibilities (science fiction does that, y’know?). There have been a lot of earthquake reports in the news of late; in addition to the big one in Haiti a couple weeks back and all the aftershocks around the Caribbean, there was a 5.2 over the weekend in China.
Dedicated news readers will know that there is a fault line that runs through Camden County, and from time to time, we’ve carried reports of local tremors. Mostly they’re the “Hey! Did you know we had an earthquake yesterday?” gee-whiz variety of news.
One day, however, it might be something everyone here knows immediately.
Our local fault lines are connected geologically with one much more famous in eastern Missouri’s Bootheel.
I started my first newspaper job in Southern Illinois about the same time some professors at Southeast Missouri State University were attempting to call attention to the possibility of another large-magnitude quake along the New Madrid Fault, which were actually several significant quakes in 1811-12.
They never actually said a quake strong enough to reverse the flow of the Mississippi River WOULD occur – like the famous one in 1812 did for a short while (it also permanently altered the course of the river) – but they did get a lot of publicity for saying IF it did, it COULD happen soon. The 1812 earthquake was felt as far away as New York City and Boston, Mass., where church bells reportedly rang.
Marion, Ill., where I was living and working, was within the total destruction circle should the 1812 quake be repeated. The prediction got some attention in town, that was certain.
While still a college student at Southern Illinois in Carbondale, the next town west of Marion, my friends and I did a lot of exploring while out fishing.
I’ve fished several small lakes – called oxbows – that were formed when the Mississippi changed course after the 1812 quake. The scope and magnitude of the landscape is both breath-taking and awe-inspiring in person if one tries to think about how much the ground heaved to change a major river the size of the Mississippi.
While it’s unlikely a Richter-scale event of that magnitude WOULD ever strike again, there is a very real possibility it COULD. Should it occur, two things would be certain: 1. Destruction to major Midwestern cities would be catastrophic, and 2. Help would take a long time to get here, where there are less people.
Although many of us are prepared to ride out power outages and weather-related inconveniences, ask yourself this question as we enter Earthquake Preparedness Month: Where would I be if a strong earthquake hit while I was at work? Or shopping? Or playing golf or boating? Then think about how many bridges you cross between that point and your home – and not just the big bridges over the lake, think about all the smaller bridges over creeks and low areas.
If those are damaged or destroyed, you will be stuck where you are, homeless and stranded, like thousands of others. What would you do if it was a 17-degree day in January? Or 95 and really humid in July?
This scenario wouldn’t be Sci-Fi escapism on a cold Saturday afternoon in January, it would be a struggle for survival and very real. And while the possibilities might be remote, ask yourself “How you would survive?”
Beyond the basic essentials of shelter, food and water, what else would you need? Besides eyeglasses, vital medications or prescriptions, does anyone in your family have special needs that would be critical if you were stranded for days between here and there? And what about your family pets?
If you and other family members were separated during a catastrophe, do you have an arranged place to try to meet?
There are several good resources for packing emergency essentials available on the Internet. There are also plenty of businesses just wanting to sell you stuff.
Stick with the objective sites. The one most visible is www.ready.gov.
Survival kit basics
Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:
Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
A radio, battery-powered or hand crank, and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Whistle to signal for help
Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Tools, like a wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
Local maps
Cell phone with chargers
SOURCE: www.ready.gov/america/getakit/
You should have an emergency kit in your home and in each vehicle you drive. Keep in mind these kits are based on minimums, and only for three days. Two winters ago, folks out in Miller County around Iberia were without electricity for about two weeks. An earthquake disaster would be a lot longer.
The old adage about “an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure” IS an old adage because it is sage advice.
Contact Lake Sun editor David Schiefelbein at david.schiefelbein@lakesunonline.com
