ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – Because Missouri is home to the country’s second most active fault line, state officials are encouraging Missourians to prepare for the possibility of a major quake.
Missouri is the site of some of the largest earthquakes in U.S. history. The New Madrid fault runs through Southeast Missouri and produces a couple hundred small quakes yearly. Most of these earthquakes cannot be felt, but in the 1800s, Missouri felt some of the most powerful earthquakes, damaging buildings as far as St. Louis, over 100 miles away.
Experts with Missouri’s State Emergency Management Agency say there is a 20-40% chance of a category 6 earthquake hitting Missouri in the next 50 years. That’s why Jeff Briggs, SEMA’s earthquake program manager, is encouraging everyone to participate in Thursday’s ShakeOut Earthquake Drill…