NewsJuly 29, 2021

J. Brian Houston, director of the Disaster and Community Crisis Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia, spends much of his time studying naturally occurring catastrophic events in the U.S. and across the world. He was in Cape Girardeau’s Osage Centre on Wednesday holding focus groups on what local residents — living in the shadow of the New Madrid fault — think about earthquakes...

J. Brian Houston speaks at the start of an earthquake preparedness focus group meeting Wednesday at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau.
J. Brian Houston speaks at the start of an earthquake preparedness focus group meeting Wednesday at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau.Sarah Yenesel

J. Brian Houston, director of the Disaster and Community Crisis Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia, spends much of his time studying naturally occurring catastrophic events in the U.S. and across the world. He was in Cape Girardeau’s Osage Centre on Wednesday holding focus groups on what local residents — living in the shadow of the New Madrid fault — think about earthquakes.

Anxiety about COVID-19, he said, seems to have pushed earthquake fears out of mind.

“I think we all have crisis fatigue — COVID, climate change, you name it. Nobody wants to think about another (potential) crisis or another worry. We’re all ready to get back to normal. At the same time, other challenges remain,” Houston said.

“We’re trying to understand how people in (Southeast Missouri) think about quakes because experts tell us we’re long overdue for a significant event. We want people prepared and aware of the risk and doing what they can to stay safe if something were to happen.”

Houston said the university is partnering with the Kansas City, Missouri-based National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to come up with possible future options for affordable disaster coverage.

An emergency preparedness "bucket" is displayed at a focus group meeting on earthquakes held Wednesday at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau.
An emergency preparedness "bucket" is displayed at a focus group meeting on earthquakes held Wednesday at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau.Jeff Long

“Especially in Missouri, we’ve got people along the earthquake fault, and the number of people insured in the area has really fallen,” said NAIC’s Lisa Groshong.

The decline in the high-risk New Madrid Seismic Zone is startling.

The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI) says earthquake coverage in the region has hit historic lows.

“The percentage of residences with earthquake coverage in the areas in and around New Madrid dropped by an astonishing 47% from 2000 to 2020, from 60.2% to 12.7%,” said DCI’s Lori Croy, who monitored the Cape Girardeau focus group.

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“One of the culprits in this continuing fall is the sharply escalating cost of earthquake insurance in the region. Since 2000, (insurance) costs have increased by 760%,” according to a DCI release dated July 12.

Focus group

One participant from Cape Girardeau, a former 25-year resident of California, said insurance companies must find a way to make earthquake coverage affordable.

“When I was (in California), I was paying more than $600 a month for earthquake coverage, which is outrageous,” he said.

He urged folks in Southeast Missouri to make an emergency preparedness kit for their homes.

“Mine has slow-burning candles, light sticks, food bars, water bottles, thick gloves, a battery-operated radio, emergency blankets, a gas shutoff tool, a utility knife and a crowbar,” the resident explained.

A participant from Fruitland said he had earthquake insurance for 20 years with a $1,000 deductible but the coverage is no longer being offered by his insurer.

What’s next

Focus groups will be held today in the City of New Madrid. Houston said his team will also do personal interviews and conduct surveys of as many as 1,500 southeast Missourians to compile a report that can be used by insurers contemplating offering new earthquake coverage.

The DCI report may be accessed at www.insurance.mo.gov/earthquake/documents/OverviewofResidentialEarthquakeInsurancein2020.pdf

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