Everyone knows of the obvious places where you have to worry about experiencing an earthquake. But sometimes, there are less obvious spots, too. So, what is our currently, calculated risk of an earthquake in North Carolina and South Carolina?
A new study looks at the locations with the highest potential of earthquakes. A lot of them are in major cities. A few include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Memphis. That’s according to government research done by FEMA.
In case you were wondering, earthquakes are costly. That’s not to shame the states that have the most earthquakes, of course. Hurricanes are costly, too. So, whether you live in California, where earthquakes are likely, or in other areas across America where hurricanes happen, chances are, your area is taking up funding to cover these disasters. As it turns out, southern California coastal counties and the Bay Area are the most costly when it comes to earthquake damage. “Los Angeles County with $2.68 billion in annualized losses is more than three times greater than the second highest county (Santa Clara, California),” the FEMA report states. “The counties containing the Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake, and Memphis metropolitan areas also have relatively high AELs.”
North Carolina ranks No. 22 and No. 28, respectively, out of the states for the report’s “Ranking of States by Annualized Earthquake Loss and Annualized Earthquake Loss Ratios (AELR).” South Carolina ranks No. 8 and 12, respectively.
North Carolina, South Carolina earthquake danger
Find the interactive map via CNN below and see where your area lands. You might be surprised by some of the areas that actually have a fairly high risk for activity. The map was “derived in part from a US Geological Survey study that created earthquake models to help inform municipalities and insurance companies about such hazards,” according to CNN.