"If your house was built before 1993 in Jackson or Madison County, odds are your framework is not attached to the foundation."
"The old building codes didn't require it; so most contractors didn't do it. The sheer weight of
materials keeps the house in place."
"But that could spell trouble if a powerful earthquake strikes the New Madrid Seismic Zone. A magnitude 7 or greater earthquake could easily jolt a Jackson house off its foundation and cause major damage."
"houses in Madison County "are not built to earthquake standards."
"Scientists now believe that when a major earthquake of magnitude 7 or greater strikes again on the New Madrid fault, Jackson's older schools, office buildings and houses could sustain significant damage."
"If you crank the magnitude up to a 6 or 7 and on up ... Jackson could expect to have damage," said Jim Wilkinson, executive director of the Central United States Earthquake Consortium.
A study released by FEMA estimates that damages in Jackson and Madison County could total almost $2 billion if a magnitude 7.7 or greater earthquake strikes. Damages in Memphis and Shelby County could total close to $20 billion."
SOURCE - Jackson Sun
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