SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Pastimes : Lake New Orleans
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  
To: Rande Is who wrote (434)9/7/2005 10:19:15 AM
From: Constant Reader  Read Replies (2) of 1118
 
You're right. There are many terrible things that can happen. We can't do much to prevent almost all of them from happening. Even the best-laid plans to respond to such events will undoubtedly go straight out the window once they actually occur.

The Missouri area quake scenario is a good example of something that will one day probably happen and no one has a clue when it might. Maybe tomorrow night or maybe not for 500 years. There were five earthquakes centered in the New Madrid area that are believed to have a surface magnitude over 8.0 (the shaking about 10 times stronger than the 1906 San Francisco quake and 2-3 times stonger than the strongest earthquake actually recorded, the 9.2 Richter-scale Alaska quake) between December, 1811 and February, 1812. They are said to have caused the bells in Boston to ring and changed the course of the Mississippi River. The area is not, however, an active quake area like the Pacific coast.

Should all buildings in all potentially affected areas meet the earthquake safety standards now used on the West coast? Would buildings constructed to those standards survive such a devastating quake? After the Sylmar quake, standards were altered because we found out things we didn't know before. After the Loma Prieta quake, standards changed yet again. Five years later, after the Northridge quake, standards changed for the same reason. How much money are we willing to spend to avoid the ensuing calamity that might never come? Do we even have that much money?
Report TOU ViolationShare This Post
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  

HomeMailHotSubjectMarksPeopleMarksKeepersSettings
Terms Of UseContact UsCopyright/IP PolicyPrivacy PolicyAbout UsFAQAdvertise on SI
© 2025 Knight Sac Media.  Data provided by Twelve Data, Alpha Vantage, and CityFALCON News