East Coast Earthquake Reveals Holes in Disaster Preparedness
In New York, a city of 8 million people, daily exposure to a cacophony of sounds and shakes is the norm.
So, sitting in her apartment in Brooklyn, Nichole Jenkins thought it was just a big truck driving down her street. Elsewhere in Brooklyn, roommates Sannah Boyd and Imiyah Weatherspoon swore construction work was being done somewhere in their building.
But in actuality, a 4.8-magnitude earthquake had just shaken the East Coast, from Philadelphia to Boston, New York City, and beyond.
For Boyd and Weatherspoon, it took well over 30 seconds for them to realize it was an earthquake. Jenkins had no idea until it was confirmed on the news show she was watching on TV.
All three Black New Yorkers agreed that they had no clue how to react and respond if it had been a bigger one.
“Honestly, I really just don’t know what you’re supposed to do,” Jenkins said.
She knew for tornadoes, you’re supposed to take shelter in the “bathroom or closet,” but she wasn’t sure if it was the same response for earthquakes.
“You hear about it on the West Coast, but you don’t really hear about it over here,” Jenkins said.
Although Friday’s earthquake was more of an oddity than a real threat to buildings or human life, it underscores a pressing issue that has historically disproportionately impacted Black folks across the country: disaster preparedness, or the lack thereof.
In the Northeast region, only 27 individuals and families are currently registered to participate in this year’s regionwide earthquake preparedness drill. Last year, just 335 participated.
When disasters strike, Black folks are usually the hardest hit due to a mix of practices that have stunted Black communities’ ability to recover, but also because Black families typically have the least resources and tools to prepare. Black people are more likely to be renters and living in aging housing structures that weren’t built to withstand the more intensified disasters we’re seeing in the 21st century.
The East Coast is 100 times less active than California in terms of quakes, but that doesn’t mean they should be taken lightly. At least three tremors have hit NYC in the past year, and at least eight structures have had major collapses across the city in recent years.
A 2020 analysis by the Federal Emergency Management Agency suggests that cities in the Northeast would benefit from building codes mimicking California, even with the diminished earthquake threat.
East Coast quakes are typically felt over an area 10 times larger than a similar quake on the West Coast. This is because rocks in the eastern corridor of the U.S. are much older and denser than rocks on the West Coast, which allows shaking to travel much further.
A 2023 study looking at how the “big one” might impact California, the nation’s earthquake capital, found that Black residents would be disproportionately harmed — the result of racist housing policies that have diminished property values and allowed Black neighborhoods’ infrastructure to be neglected before an earthquake and potentially in the rebuilding process.
Christina Brown, a Black activist and social media influencer, noted how this might impact people in New York City, which is home to the nation’s largest Black population by far. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the New York metropolitan area has roughly 1 million more Black people than Atlanta, the metro area with the second most Black people.
“The worst part is I know New York has NO earthquake protocols, no infrastructure built for it. It’s like when snow storms hit Texas,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
While most of the states in the Northeast have adopted some seismic provisions into the state or local building codes for certain types of new construction, many buildings predate these codes, and the enforcement of the codes varies by state and community.
“The buildings are bigger in the city,” Jenkins noted, and that gives her cause for concern because “buildings can come down.”
“It worries me,” she said. “I would just hope that everything is up to code.”
The 2020 FEMA analysis found that every $1 spent on mitigation in new code construction saves $11 in disaster repair and recovery costs, and it would only increase construction costs by 1%.
Earthquake preparedness
Despite the East Coast having no official protocol for how to prepare for an earthquake, here are some tips from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services:
Know the signs: During an earthquake, you may hear a roaring or rumbling sound that gradually gets louder. You may also feel a rolling sensation that starts out gently and, within a second or two, grows violent. Or, you may also first be jarred by a violent jolt. A second or two later, you may feel shaking.
Learn the safe spots: Most deaths and injuries are caused by collapsing building materials and heavy falling objects, such as bookcases, cabinets, and heating units. A safe spot may be underneath a sturdy table away from walls or underneath your covers with a pillow over your head if you are in bed.
Practice what to do if an earthquake strikes: Get the entire family to practice an earthquake drill, especially if you have children. Participating in an earthquake drill will help you and your loved ones understand what to do in case you are not with them during an earthquake.
Create an evacuation plan: Take a few minutes with your family to discuss a home evacuation plan. If you live downstream from a dam, know flood-zone information. Plan a second way to exit from each room or area, if possible. If you need special equipment, such as a rope ladder, mark where it is located. Mark where your emergency supply kit (including food, water, first aid) and fire extinguishers are located. Locate where the utility switches or valves are located so that they can be turned off, if possible.
Create an emergency supply kit: Stock up on emergency supplies that can be used after an earthquake. These supplies should include a first-aid kit and emergency supply kits for the home and automobile, including emergency water and food. Store enough supplies to last at least three days.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified Nichole Jenkins.
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