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Following a Friday morning earthquake in the Northeast, New York City's emergency management officials, led by Jackie Bray, Commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, quickly mobilized to assess any damage.
City and state structural engineers were promptly dispatched to inspect bridges, tunnels, and critical infrastructure, while nuclear plants were required to report any damage within a 15-minute window. Fortunately, no significant damage was reported, according to Bray.
Despite the fortunate outcome, experts emphasize the importance of learning from such events. Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, Director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, believes these moments are valuable for contemplating potential scenarios and preparing for future emergencies.
He notes that while the East Coast doesn't prioritize earthquakes as highly as regions like the West Coast or Japan, plans and preparations are in place.
Friday's earthquake, centered near Lebanon, N.J., caught the region off guard. Bray likened it to an unexpected event, unlike predictable occurrences such as annual blizzards in Buffalo.
However, the state and city have taken specific measures, including enforcing building codes that require new or significantly renovated buildings to adhere to seismic standards, ensuring preparedness.
While major urban areas in the Northeast, including New York City, generally follow the latest seismic building standards recommended by the American Society of Civil Engineers, these codes are not universally adopted.
Emily Guglielmo, chair of the engineering society's seismic committee, explains that jurisdictions vary in their adoption and enforcement of these standards.
Seismic building standards are not solely based on earthquake magnitude but also on collapse probabilities, which vary regionally. Guglielmo emphasizes the need for different standards based on seismic risk, designing for higher forces in high-risk areas like California compared to lower-risk areas like New York.
Although earthquakes on the East Coast are less frequent and smaller than those on the West Coast, they are felt more widely due to differences in geological conditions.
Paul Segall, a geophysics professor at Stanford University, notes that the 2011 Mineral Springs earthquake in Virginia was felt by more people than any other in U.S. history.
Segall warns against ruling out the possibility of a larger quake on the East Coast in the future, especially considering the prevalence of older masonry and stone buildings that perform poorly in seismic activity.
Unlike California, which mandates retrofitting older buildings, New York's building codes generally do not require such upgrades, given the age of most buildings.
Despite the potential risks, Bray believes the lack of significant damage from Friday's earthquake should instill confidence in the public. Guglielmo echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that while the shaking may be unsettling, infrastructure performance indicates that communities are safe.