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April is Earthquake
Preparedness Month
We generally think of the
ground we stand on as "rock-solid" and completely stable. An
earthquake can shatter that perception instantly. Earthquakes
can happen at any time and in any place. While scientists can
measure the magnitude and origin of a quake, they can't predict when
they will occur.
The majority of naturally-occurring
earthquakes are caused by movements of the earth's plates.
Every so often we hear about an earthquake in the news, but they are
actually an every day occurrence on our planet. According to the
United States Geological Survey, more than three million earthquakes
occur every year. That works out to 8,000 a day or one every 11
seconds. Many of these earthquakes happen in uninhabited areas so no
one knows about them. The shaking of the ground is not what
takes lives, but the destruction of man-made structures and the
effects of other related natural disasters such as tsunamis that do.
For tips on developing
your own home earthquake preparedness plan visit the
Red Cross website.
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