Quake is signal for better preparedness

In the words of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, 2002 has all the earmarks of being an "annus horribilis" across the United States.

So far, the ever-present threat of more terrorist attacks has grown stronger rather than weakening. The stock market is still in the dumps and threatens to dip to post-Sept. 11 lows or below. Our top officials say our state and city taxes won't produce enough revenue to cover the spending we've become accustomed to. Spring floods have made our lives miserable. Forest fires are rampaging in the Southwest. Our favorite baseball team has just suffered a double blow with the deaths of Jack Buck and Darryl Kile.

And then we have an earthquake, one of the strongest in recent years.

What next?

Our most recent brush with ground tremors is, of course, a reminder that we live near the New Madrid Fault, which demonstrated its cataclysmic powers nearly 200 years ago. Scientists say another devastating quake from the fault is possible. This recent quake wasn't a part of the New Madrid Fault, however. It was attributed to the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone.

The recent quake -- with a 5.0 magnitude and considered moderate as quakes go -- was strong enough to be felt in parts of several states around its epicenter in southern Indiana. Although there was no life-threatening damage, the quake was enough to make church bells ring and disrupt telephone service near the center.

In the Cape Girardeau area, the quake was felt by a lot of people, but it happened so quickly that even those who felt it probably didn't associate it with an earthquake at first.

Interestingly, those who paid any attention at all were more likely to comment about the sound they heard as the earth trembled. "Thunderous," "like a freight train" and " roar of a jet engine" were some of the descriptions.

Earthquake experts say quakes don't make noise, but the shaking of buildings and their contents can make loud sounds.

Once again, the tremors felt here heightened the awareness that the New Madrid Fault could let loose at any time. But dealing with a potential earthquake is a lot like preparing for another act of terrorism. There's no way to tell when it will happen or how bad it will be.

"It's a shame that it takes something like this to think about safety," said Dr. Nicholas Tibbs, director of the Center for Earthquake Studies at Southeast Missouri State University.

Basic information about disaster preparedness is available from the Cape Girardeau County Emergency Preparedness office in Jackson. The telephone number is 204-0911.

Preparing for an earthquake includes such common-sense things as securing appliances and bookcases to keep them from falling over, placing heavier items on shelves near the floor, installing flexible connections to gas appliances, learning what to do when an earthquake occurs and putting together an emergency kit that includes drinking water.

Each disaster makes us more aware of our vulnerability. The time to think about preparation is before a disaster, not after.