Earth Rattling News ....

Good article today about the New Madrid Earthquake fault that is imbedded within 35 miles of Memphis. While as a child Tornado Drills and Fire Drills were more of a happening in the schools and at home, there has always been a lingering preparation for activity from the New Madrid Fault.

I can remember as a 5th grader, in my room doing homework (Yes Miss Sullivan I actually did do the homework the night before) and my Mom being in the Den which was two rooms away from my bedroom. I was sitting there working and all of a sudden the house began to shake. My Mom (always prepared for anything from being a teacher for so many years) ran to the door way between the kitchen and the den with our dog Mr. Beau in her arms and ordered me to get in the doorway between my bedroom and the kitchen. We stood there for only a few minutes until the rattling had ended.

When she felt it was safe we got out of the house very quickly to join our various neighbors who were out on their lawns as well. My Dad who worked for a bank at that time was out-of-town. The first thing the ladies in the neighborhood did was decided who would watch the children and to keep us occupied away from houses, trees, or any other potential debris that might fall on us.

The the ladies went to check on the elderly neighbors to make sure they were ok and to help them leave their homes at that time. Then some of the men went around checking the houses for structural damage, gas leaks, water leaks, and the such. Fortunately there was no damage in our neighborhood that fateful day.

Just a couple of miles away the plate glass windows of a large department store shattered. There was no looting. And the next morning I got up ready to go to school. During the night we did have several aftershocks (tremblors) but my Mom and Mr. Beau kept a steady patrol of the house all night while I slept ... I remember them going down the hall with the flashlight checking on things all night. But when we arrived at school, there was our Director standing outside with a big sign ... No School Today. It seems there had been some structural damage (minor it turned out) to the school.

Now there is a study that says, after the Haiti quake, that the New Madrid Fault seems to be fizzling. There are many skeptics to this theory that the fault may have lived out its life. For those who don't know, the New Madrid Fault has been a very strong and violent fault in the past. In 1811 there was a major earthquake in this region (8 years prior to the founding of Memphis) the results in two events: 1) the creation of Reelfoot Lake in upper Northwest Tennessee, and 2) the Mississippi River running backwards, yes backwards to fill in the new lake.

So based on this report from Northwestern University, some people are advocating lifting the seismic codes for buidlings in this area. I think we should wait. The New Madrid Fault has reared her ugly head every 200 years and right now she may be a little coy about her return in a couple of years.

After all, that day in March 1970 when the earth shook in Memphis, WMPS Radio was playing"I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet" at the exact moment of the quake!