What's Next, an Earthquake?  (Print This) 09/23/2005 In the wake of devastating hurricanes, engineers are warning of an even bigger natural disaster…from an earthquake. And we have reason to worry right here.

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Three of the strongest earthquakes in U.S. history shook much of the country from a fault line near the Arkansas-Missouri border.  The events, two-hundred years ago, rang church bells as far away as Boston.  Scientists warn it could happen again at any time, and engineers say the effects would be much worse.  Bill Marcuson, former geotechnical lab director at the Army Corps of Engineers, expects many deaths and extreme damage to major cities.  He warns that loss of key roads, railways, and pipelines over the Mississippi would likely cut off vital supplies to people here on the east coast for months, and says we must update infrastructures and plan for this impending disaster now.  With the National Academy of Engineering, Randy Atkins, WTOP Radio.

• The New Madrid earthquakes: background and photos
• The largest earthquakes in the U.S.
• Earthquake engineering: an introduction and more resources

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