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Seismic St. Louis

Emily Sekine
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I'm interested in better understanding the ongoing geological processes that shape St. Louis and the Mississippi Valley region. So far, I've been looking into the history of seismicity in the region, focusing on the fascinating but little known history of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 -- the most devastating earthquakes to have hit the US east of the Rockies. I've also been exploring how St. Louis and surrounding areas are dealing with the possibility of another earthquake occurring in the future. According to one article I read, one of the biggest uncertainties is what would happen to the heavily engineered Mississippi River in the case of another major tremblor. The shaking could break the levees, flooding wide areas along the river and creating cascading effects. The flow of the river might also reverse completely, as occurred during the New Madrid earthquakes.

On these possibilities and the lack of scientific consensus surrounding intraplate seismicity in this zone, see this article in The Atlantic.

On current efforts to create earthquake hazard maps in St. Louis, see this overview on the US Geological Survey site.

For a deeper dive into the history of the New Madrid earthquakes, see this book by historian of science Conevery Bolton Valencius. 

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seanw146
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1) Culling animals to control disease outbreak. World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (http://www.oie.int/doc/ged/D2704.PDF)

2) Main bio-threats to US national security. Department of Homeland Security (DHS): (https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/prep_biological_fact_sheet.pdf)

3) Main bio-threats to developing countries. The National Academies Press: (https://www.nap.edu/read/12596/chapter/5#48)

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seanw146
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 “From the first moments to the last, however, their efforts were plagued by failures of communication, command and control.” This main point is supported in several ways. The police helicopters said that the collapse of the towers was “imminent” a full 20 minutes before the south tower fell and an hour and 29 minutes before the north tower. Most firefighters in the north tower did not even know that the south tower had fallen. Most fighter fighters did not recall ever hearing the dispatch to evacuate the north tower despite multiple broadcasts. The chain of command and orderly response also failed. First responders ignored and disobeyed orders to wait to respond until called upon. Some self-dispatched taking taxis, driving themselves, and hoping on other departments’ rigs. “Discipline Broke Down In Eagerness to Help”. The police commissioner, Bernard B. Kerik, did not even know that there were any serious communication issues between the agencies. Assistant Chief Joseph Callan ordered an evacuation of the north tower at 9:32 am, almost a full hour before it fell, but few ever received this command. These failures resulted in the needless loss of life and a response that could have been far better.

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seanw146
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Hailey-Means was incarcerated at Rikers and provides an inside view of the deteriorating conditions of the facility.

Freddie McGrier talked about the extreme heat the cells faced in the warm season and the dangers to his life that he faced because of his heart condition. Johnny Perez echoed Freddie’s input. Susi Vassallo, who is professor at NY University Medical School, deemed the heat conditions a serious threat to the health of the inmates.

Omar Smith, also incarcerated at Rikers, has developed asthma during his sentence which is likely due to the poisonous gases released by the decomposing landfill under the prison.

Michael Bloomberg was Mayor of NYC during the Sandy super-storm and while he announced a plan for the evacuation of the surrounding islands there was not one for Rikers.

The New York Times is also referenced in the article for their reports on the prison’s poor welfare.