Illinois officials say a new seismic safety task force will improve the state’s earthquake preparedness. This comes just a couple weeks after a quake shook the Midwest. But some experts say Illinois should have acted ages ago.
Energy pipelines running through seismic zones on their way to Chicago make Illinois especially at-risk if a big earthquake hits. That’s according to quake expert J. David Rogers from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
ROGERS: The threat’s been there. All of us who’ve been studying earthquakes in the Midwest have been wondering what’s taken Illinois so long to realize the great potential for disaster to them.
Rogers says Illinois should make the new seismic task force permanent, like the one he serves on in Missouri. Illinois officials say that’s a possibility. They also defend the state’s efforts to prepare for earthquakes, citing multiple emergency drills and a lot of behind-the-scenes work begun well before the recent quake.