New Jersey earthquake raises questions about East Coast preparedness

Beyond the Gulf region, the United States can learn from other parts of the world, says Daniel Aldrich, director of the Security and Resilience Program at Northeastern.

Share this story Copy link Link copied! Email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter WhatsApp Reddit A 4.8-magnitude earthquake centered in New Jersey shook residents of the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States regions on Friday morning. Screenshot via USGS

A 4.8-magnitude earthquake centered in New Jersey shook residents of the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States regions on Friday morning.

The quake occurred at 10:23 a.m., according to the US Geological Survey, and was felt in parts of Maryland, Delaware and Connecticut, as well as throughout New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located in Lebanon, New Jersey, about 50 miles west of New York City.

Destructive seismic activity on the East Coast of the United States is rare. The last earthquake of significance was measured at 5.8 near Richmond, Virginia, in 2011.

Because of the uncommon earthquakes occurring along the eastern part of the country, experts say preparedness is lacking in the United States.

“With the exception of San Francisco, we are woefully unprepared for earthquakes in North America,” says Daniel Aldrich, a professor at Northeastern University and director of the university's Security and Resilience Program and co-director of the Global Resilience Institute.

Friday's earthquake comes days after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan, killing 10 people.

The US Geological Survey notes that severe earthquakes have occurred in the eastern United States before, citing the 6.0 magnitude quake that struck north of Boston in 1755. “Historically, devastating earthquakes have occurred in almost every eastern state,” the agency says.

Eldrich says that elsewhere in the world, especially where seismic activity is more common, protective measures are part of everyday life — from evacuation drills and protocols, to improving building codes and earthquake-resistant structures.

“In Australia and New Zealand, individual buildings have been raided to ensure they are earthquake-resistant,” says Aldrich. “How safe is it to stay in your home after a four-, five-, or six-magnitude earthquake? We have no idea. And again, here in North America, most of us don't think about that.”

The USGS outlines several steps to take to prepare for an earthquake. They include:

Step 1: Secure your space by identifying hazards and securing moved items.

Step 2: Plan to be safe by creating a disaster plan and determining how to communicate in an emergency.

Step 3: Organize disaster supplies in appropriate locations.

Step 4: Reduce financial difficulties by organizing important documents.

Aldrich says earthquakes can have one or two causes; They can be caused by natural plate tectonics, or by fracking, which is why states like Oklahoma and Texas see more frequent earthquakes.

“I think the earthquake we just had was natural,” he says.

Aldrich says it is possible that the region will witness minor aftershocks.

“There have been a range of theories trying to predict what happens after the first earthquake – for example, whether subsequent tremors will be stronger or weaker – but we are not very good at predicting earthquakes, despite all the amazing science and sensors we have nowadays.

Mehrdad Sasani, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, partly agrees.

“Forecasting is not really a science,” he says.

Sasani says earthquakes are an integral part of life on the West Coast because the western part of the country borders major tectonic plates that contain many of the most active faults.

He says earthquake preparedness, seismic codes and standards, depend on knowing the intensity of earthquakes in a particular area, as well as the potential for ground movement – ​​and building designs reflect known risks.

In other words, buildings in Massachusetts, for example, don't need to be designed with the same level of risk in mind compared to buildings in the San Francisco area, he says.

Scientists study the geology of the area, taking into account past earthquakes and other factors to calculate probabilities. The USGS recently developed a map showing the likelihood of an earthquake by region, Sassani says.

Sasani says low-magnitude earthquakes occur on the East Coast more often.

“The Earth’s crust is moving all the time,” he says.

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