If you live in Salt Lake county Utah, the one thing you need to know is the fact
that the county rests on one of the largest normal faults in the world. The
Wasatch fault line stretches 240 miles long and breaches surrounding states.
A normal Fault is when sturdy and ridged mountain plates rise and the softer
valley plates fall.
When this happens it creates a very violent earthquake and reshapes the land
after every occurrence. Over time there has been a geologic pattern of seismic
earthquakes along the fault that occurs every 350 years. Today we are well
overdue for one of the most catastrophic earthquakes in the history of mankind.
With that being said….
Q1: How will the earthquake affect where you will live?
How will it affect where you buy a home in the valley?
Q2: Are we prepared for the event?
Has the government taken steps to prepare for the destruction?
http://youtu.be/DByPiCkznE0 wasatch fault flyby
Q: When buying a home in Salt Lake county I wanted to know where we will be
the safest when the earthquake occurs. Below is a link to a map of county and the
areas of impact on a scale.
http://geology.utah.gov/online/pdf/pi-76.pdf
After reviewing the map and checking into more details, I have concluded that it
does not matter where you live. An earthquake man occur at any time and any
place. However knowing where they come from you can avoid more vulnerable
areas as shown on the map. At least you can choose to buy a home in an area that
won’t be as heavily impacted like West Jordan City. If you decide to build a home,
most structures now are designed to meet Utah code to withstand moderate
quakes. However if you are buying an older home made before the 70’s then
most likely they will have delicate structures such as brick and weak foundation.
Either way, planning now helps prepare for tomorrow and the first place to start
is in your own home. There are things you can do to reinforce an older home that
supports city code and when building a home, it is important to check
construction design and materials. Once this is taken care of, and ground shaking
does occur it is not the only threat. Most homes are supported by water, gas and
electricity that may be severed from the city for large periods of time. Creating a
backup plan and a 72 hour kit for each family member is a great way to prepare.
Along with knowing what else to do, there are multiple websites to visit that
insight more useful information locally for preparing. The government has certain
procedures for preparing, one being the National Guard and joint agencies are
practicing for the reaction. City ordinances for new construction and planning for
development on the outskirts of the fault line for future haven. However there is
so much that the government cannot prevent in hindsight. Water lines and sewer
lines will break and combine into useless waste. Gas and power lines will break
and cause many fires. Most schools and older brick building and hospitals that lay
along the Wasatch fault will be destroyed beyond use or repair. Leaving over
5,000 dead and 15,000 injured people needing medical treatment. The loss of
buildings and infrastructure will leave Utah over 25 billion dollars in debt. We will
be days or weeks without the following: Phone lines, water, gas, sewage, food,
transportation, electricity, medical attention, shelter.
It is obvious that our city and state government is not prepared for earthquake
and is only somewhat prepared to deal with the aftermath. It is truly up to the
residents to depend on preparedness and survival of the quake. How well you
plan on where to reside, how to prepare, and what to do when devastation
strikes will determine how fast society will recover.
Sources and data:
http://gis.utah.gov/
-database for sismic activity in utah
http://www.geology.utah.gov/utahgeo/hazards/eqfault/wfault_flyby.htm -video for the fault
line
http://www.geology.utah.gov/ - basic geologic info
http://naturalresources.utah.gov/ -AWESOME MAP area info????
http://geology.utah.gov/online/pdf/pi-38.pdf -home buyers guide
http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/gladasked/gladfault_address.htm -is my house near a
fault line survey
https://insurance.utah.gov/auto-home/home/earthquake.php -earth quake insurance
http://geology.utah.gov/utahgeo/hazards/realtors.htm -guide for real estate agents
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705359039/70-earthquake-If-the-big-one-hits-UtahsWasatch-front.html?pg=all -if the big one hits news article
http://www.seis.utah.edu/edservices/EES/WsatchFrontClock.shtml when will it happen
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56172583-78/earthquake-utah-emergency-lake.html.csp ARE WE PREPARED????
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/?region=utah -BEST INFO
http://ussc.utah.gov/publications/strategic_plan.pdf -A PLAN PRINT OUT
http://www.good4utah.com/news/local/story/Is-Utah-ready-for-a-bigearthquake/d/story/uDXfqALkyUitjt5m9VBE5g - HAS LINKS TO PREPAREDNESS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXIM4Nf3gZk -PERFECT VIDEO
http://www.utah.gov/beready/index.html -BE READY UTAH