Tour highlights possibilities of earthquake damage.(Feature)

Byline: Mara Lazdins

It has been nearly 200 years since residents along the New Madrid fault have experienced devastating earthquake damage. While small temblors have occurred in the central Mississippi Valley over the intervening years, none has come close to matching the intensity of three magnitude-8 earthquakes that struck the area in the winter of 1811/12.

But the U.S. Geological Survey, along with the congressionally established multiagency National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, in an effort to be prepared for a catastrophic earthquake, recently funded a field trip to explore the New Madrid seismic zone and determine what potential hazards could develop if another powerful earthquake were to occur.

The trip took place from May 31 to June 2, with 29 participants that included insurance underwriters and claims executives, risk managers and state senators. Participants came from across the United States to evaluate the potential risks of the New Madrid seismic zone. The zone was named for New Madrid, Mo., a town located close to the epicenter of the 1811/12 …