Whole Lot Of Shakin' Goin' On

Is New Madrid Next?

There was a pretty good sized (5.6 magnitude) earthquake in central Oklahoma today, followed by numerous aftershocks.  Initial reports look like some mild building damage, but no injuries.  About 1,200 miles to the east is Louisa, Virginia, which was the epicenter for a 5.8 earthquake in August, and over 600 aftershocks since.  What do they have in common?  They bracket the New Madrid fault line which runs from Illinois to Arkansas, and was the location of the strongest earthquakes in US history in 1811-1812.  Those quakes are estimated to have reached 8.0 magnitude, and caused church bells to ring here in Richmond, nearly 800 miles away.  There was little damage and injury with those quakes, but only due to the sparse population of the area back then. 

Estimates of a major quake along that line now include 86,000 casualaties, including 3,500 fatalities; 715,000 damaged buildings; and 7.2 million people displaced, with 2 million of those seeking shelter, primarily due to the lack of utility services. Direct economic losses, according to the report, would be at least $300 billion. (full report)

With this Oklahoma quake, I'm actually a little worried that New Madrid might be building some activity, and these fault lines on the periphery are blowing off a little early warning steam.  I really encourage readers in the area to step up their quake-specific preps.  I'll touch on some of those things in the next couple days.


Sponsor of the Week

Our Sponsor of the Week is Survival Gear Bags.  In addition to a wide variety of gear bags and pre-made survival kits, Survival Gear Bags has quite a few other unique items such as Blast Boxers (to protect the vital male parts in an explosion) to a really cool 5 gallon utility jug.  I think this thing has some amazing potential.  I've long been on the hunt for the ideal fuel can, and this might be it (of course, I would never use it for gas, as that would violate CARB regulations... wink wink nudge nudge).  Here's the specs on it from the SGB site:
This USA made Utility jug is made of #2 HDPE plastic. Safe for everything from water to milk to racing fuel. The inverted V ribs retard expansion and the taller design lets you put more in a row in your trailer or truck bed. The double handles make pouring easy and secure.

Jug comes complete with 13" filler hose and all caps with O-rings.
FEATURES:
- 23" Tall X 9" Square
- Made of PolyEthylene
- O-Rings control leaks
- Tested to 40 below
- Multiple colors
- Liquid level can be seen on the White Jug, but all others are opaque
- Quick, easy pouring and double handle design.
- Square design fits against walls and other flat surfaces
- Solid #2 High Density Poly Ethylene (Recyclable)
- Two inverted ribs to prevent swelling and expansion
- Accurate and consistent units of measure
- Durable plastic cap with 3/4" pipe plug for hose attachment.

Will not leach or disintegrate with use. SAFE FOR ALL LIQUIDS!

Safe for Water, No Known Health Hazards!

I'm an affiliate of Survival Gear Bags, so if you visit, please use the link directly from If It Hits The Fan and I'll get a small commission at no extra cost to you.