On Shaky Ground

By: Hannah Meadows


The New Madrid fault line is a growing danger right under peoples feet. Most people don’t realize how catastrophic it would be if the fault line went off and the worst part… there is no telling when it will go off. Usually, earthquakes wouldn’t be an issue in places like California because all of their buildings are built to withstand earthquakes. However, the New Madrid fault line sits right along southern Missouri and Missouri is known for its sedimentary rock. This means an earthquake in Missouri would cause all buildings and houses to be buried since they aren’t built to withstand earthquakes. Now what would the statistics really look like if the New Madrid fault line were to go off unexpectedly? 

  • 84,000 buildings damaged and 37,000 more destroyed, almost entirely residences 
  • Over 15,000 people killed and an additional 120,000 displaced
  • Nearly 200 schools and over 100 fire stations would be damaged 
  • 37 hospitals and 67 police stations would be completely inoperable the day after the earthquake 
  • Thousands of bridges would collapse and railways would be destroyed, paralyzing travel across Missouri 
  • The total damages to the state of Missouri would cost $40 billion 

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