Image by martinluff via Flickr
The title of this article in the HuffPost on August 24 is somewhat oblique, but the article does make the key point that our nation’s infrastructure is in bad condition and the stresses of disasters will make matters worse. See: What Do the Earthquake, Infrastructure and Antiquated Accounting Have to Do With Jobs?
The earthquake yesterday was the largest east coast trembler in 67 years. But earthquakes of moderate intensity are not rare. The U.S. Geological Survey counted an average of 1,300 earthquakes each year that range in magnitude from 5 to 5.9 on the Richter [Sic] Scale. Yesterday’s was on the high end, at 5.8. Earthquakes — even in areas like the East Coast that is the middle of a tectonic plate — happen regularly and should not come as a surprise.
The same is true of floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and huge snow storms. Natural disasters don’t happen every day or every year, but they are definitely going to happen. And when they do they test our infrastructure. If, as a society, when we let our infrastructure deteriorate — or cut corners to build things on the cheap — it often turns out that the cost of our neglect is much greater than if we had taken a more responsible, prudent course and built roads, and high rises, and levies and nuclear plants that are designed to survive the natural disasters that
are all but certain to happen some day.
Editor’s Note: Many people do not realize that the Richter Scale is no longer used; the 5.9 magnitude cite is on the Modified Mercalli scale, the one currently used by geologists.
Filed under: Infrastructure
