DisastersIndiana prepares for major seismic event

Two of Indiana’s earthquake preparedness drills, the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut scheduled for 19 April, and a training program in May for emergency management and response agencies are receiving increased interest following the devastating quake in Japan.

Hoosiers do have good reason to be prepared. Experts say it is only a matter of when, not if, Indiana will be rocked by a major earthquake emanating from the New Madrid or Wabash Valley seismic zone.

The Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) stated: “The probability for an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or greater in the central U.S. is fairly significant in the near future, with a 25 to 40 percent chance of occurring in any 50-year time period.” A quake with a magnitude of 7 to 8, the consortium warned, “could result in great loss of life and property damage in the billions of dollars.”

Emily Norcross, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Homeland Security said that “High-profile, global disasters, like the earthquakes in Japan or Haiti, usually do grab the attention of Hoosiers and generate interest in preparing for similar disasters here in Indiana.”

While the educational and training exercises are important, a professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis said state and local officials must establish and enforce more stringent building codes to mitigate earthquake damage and injuries.

“How to build homes and structures that can withstand a particular magnitude earthquake should be at the forefront of what we are doing,” Professor Abdul-Akeem Sadiq said. “That is the first line of defense.”

“In Japan, from what I’ve seen and read, many of the buildings did not collapse. They swayed but came back to rest without serious damage. It was a success story,” Sadiq said. “Casualties were not high from the earthquake itself. The tsunami is what made that situation so bad. ”

Sadiq acknowledged it would not be easy getting buy-in for earthquake-proof building codes from Indiana homebuyers or builders. He sees two big sticking points: settling on what magnitude of quake buildings should be built to withstand, and how to justify the real added cost versus the potential for devastating destruction.

Norcross said Indiana does have some seismic requirements in state building codes, but they are “very dependent on a number of variables,” such as the planned use of a building, the type of materials used in the construction and the location.

Carlie Hopper, regulatory affairs director for the Indiana Builders Association, said about 12 counties, most in the southwestern part of the state, have additional construction requirements that deal with withstanding natural disasters, including earthquakes.

“We follow the maps set up by the U.S. Geological Survey,” she said, “and feel like our members are building houses that will withstand these types of events.”

If there is a concern about structural integrity, Hopper said, builders and their clients can make arrangements to upgrade construction, although affordability would most likely become a statewide issue. “Anytime you talk about more stringent requirements,” she said, “that comes with increased costs.”

In the meantime, Norcross said it is important for more Hoosiers to participate in the ShakeOut, a short awareness and training program similar to annual tornado-preparedness drills. The project spans 11 states in the Midwest and currently has 385,633 Indiana residents enrolled out of the 6.4 million population.

“The objective is not to create fear,” Norcross said. “The idea is to raise awareness that there is a high probability of a significant quake in the future and to make sure people start thinking about being prepared for when that happens.”

A month after the ShakeOut, hundreds of local, state and federal emergency responders will participate in the first-ever national level exercise to simulate a “catastrophic” earthquake in the Midwest. The training exercise will take place 16-20 May at a number of sites, including the Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex near Butlerville in southeastern Indiana.

The program is designed to test responders’ “plans and skills in a real-time, realistic environment,” Norcross said. “Lessons learned from the exercise will provide valuable insights to guide future planning for disasters and other emergencies.”