Introduction
Haitian woman carrying supplies amid the destruction from the January 2010 Haiti earthquake (Anthony Crone, US Geological Survey).
Natural hazards are something that humans have had to contend with since the humankind has existed. When we think of natural hazards we have to remember that a hazard is only a hazard because the conditions that arise from this natural process have adverse effects on human populations: an earthquake in an isolated, unpopulated part of the world isn’t a hazard; however, an earthquake in a highly populated part of the world is a hazard.
One of the Earth processes that has severe and lasting effects on human populations is Earthquakes. If you’ve never experienced one, imagine trying to do jumping jacks in the back of an old pickup truck that is cruising along at 70 miles per hour on a backwoods gravel road. You’d probably have trouble keeping your balance and not falling out of the truck. The truck would be bouncing up and down, swerving back and forth, and the wind would be pushing you back. This is what it feels like when the ground suddenly starts putting on some serious dance moves that make it nearly impossible to stand up straight or walk. (To those of you own a pickup truck, remember, I said imagine).
Earthquakes cause devastating losses outside of Hoosierland. A major earthquake paralyzing southern California impacts Indiana’s economy. Within the state or region jobs are lost and restructured, the movement of goods is slowed or inhibited, insurance companies struggle to keep up with claims (both for property and healthcare), and people emigrate from and immigrate to the area. All of these (and more) can affect local, regional, and our national economies. Think about any natural disaster. For instance, 2005’s Hurricane Katrina’s did not just impact New Orleans, but had lasting effects around the US as jobs were lost, moved, and restructured. Estimates showed that some 190,000 jobs were lost in the City of New Orleans itself. Soon after Hurricane Katrina, in September 2005, President Bush approved all 92 Indiana counties for federal disaster aid to help with accommodating Gulf Coast evacuees. (The links in this box are not required reading.)
Most Americans associate earthquakes with southern California; so, in Indiana, we don’t worry about them. But earthquakes happen everywhere, in every state; and major earthquakes have impacted Missouri, Tennessee, and South Carolina in American history. In 2008 (5.4) and 2010 (3.8), we saw earthquakes occurring in Illinois that resulted in shaking here in Indiana. Just before the 2011 New Year, on December 30, 2010, Indiana experienced a 3.8, whose epicenter was just 15 miles outside of Kokomo. (Did you feel it? Or did you think it was the fireworks?) None of these earthquakes caused significant damage or any loss of life. However, in foreign countries, earthquakes can be much more devastating.
(Parenthetical numbers are the Richter scale rating for each earthquake. The links in this paragraph are not required reading.)