Halito! On Monday, the USGS released a report announcing that there has been a 50% increase in Earthquake activity in Oklahoma and that the upsurge in seismic activity increases the likelihood of a devastating earthquake happening in the state. Many are concerned that Fracking is the likely cause of increased seismic activity, with water injections increasing underground pressure. Additionally, in my opinion, not enough attention has been paid to slant drilling as an inter-related issue. Plus, there is a lot of oil drilling going on in Oklahoma. There is only so many insults Mother Earth is going to take before she starts behaving like the fragile anemic patient that she is. Certainly, we have been feeling earthquakes in Oklahoma for quite a while now. Perhaps our family is more sensitive to Earthquakes due to past experience as former residents of California. But, I am extremely concerned about Oklahoma’s Earthquake Readiness. On the plus side, Enid regularly conducts tests of its Tornado Warning equipment, However, I have yet to see an actual disaster drill conducted here. But, there are way too many people unaware of where local Tornado Shelter’s are. Insofar as Earthquakes are concerned, Oklahoma is not ready. Oklahoma is not Earthquake Prepared....not by a long shot! For one thing their Big Box Stores are stacked to the rafters with large heavy items that will seriously injure or kill anyone standing below or near them when an earthquake happens. Earthquake straps need to be on large objects in danger of being shaken out of their position and hurled about a room need to be addressed. Examples of places with pallets of items stacked up high are Sams Club, Lowes, agricultural and farm outfits like Atwoods and area Grocery Stores. There are lots of Tall Brick Buildings, many of which represent the oldest structures in the state that are not in good repair and old structures, particularly in downtown areas. Doorways are already shifting in private homes and fractures are appearing in cement, it’s not going to be a pretty sight if Oklahoma is hit with a major Earthquake. I’m certain scientists thought about much of these things before making their announcement. Roads and old bridges are a frightening consideration, but the singularly most frightful consideration has got to be gas lakes and unstable ground criss-crossed by oil pipelines beneath fragile grounds. I mean Kingfisher had a gas fire that just appeared on someone’s land a few years ago. We are already besieged by wildfires that seem to come out of nowhere whenever the weather warms up. Lastly, the abundance of Chemical and Petroleum Plants here makes the USGS warning a dire prediction. Oklahomans must take heed, Earthquake readiness must now become a priority project. Sincerely,-Angela Molette
Posted on: Wed, 07 May 2014 06:56:55 +0000
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