This map of the New Madrid and Wabash Valley seismic zones shows earthquakes as circles. Red circles indicate earthquakes that occurred from 1974 to 2002 with magnitudes larger than 2.5 located using modern instruments (University of Memphis). Green circles denote earthquakes that occurred prior to 1974 (USGS Professional Paper 1527). Larger earthquakes are represented by larger circles.
Scientists understand that the Wabash Valley Fault System runs perpendicular to the New Madrid Fault along the north end of the system.
Moderately damaging earthquakes occur on the Wabash Valley fault about once every decade or two. Smaller earthquakes are felt about once or twice a year, which is considerably less active than the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The largest recorded earthquake on the Wabash Valley Fault System was in 1968, which registered magnitude 5.4. On June 18, 2002, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Evansville, Indiana, area.
In a statement, Dave Overhoff, geo-hazards geologist with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of Geology and Land Survey in Rolla said that the New Madrid Seismic Zone is the country's most active seismic zone east of the Rockies and produces more than 200 small earthquakes each year along the zone. Most are too weak to be noticed by the public; however, the Center for Earthquake Research and Information in Memphis, Tenn., registered a magnitude 3.4 earthquake on Oct. 18, 2006, near New Madrid.
The New Madrid Seismic Zone extends 120 miles southward from the area of Charleston, Missouri, and Cairo, Illinois, through New Madrid and Caruthersville, following Interstate 55 to Blytheville and southward to Marked Tree, Arkansas. The zone crosses five state lines and cuts across the Mississippi River in three places and the Ohio River in two places. Map courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.
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Gov. Blunt Offers Earthquake Insurance Tips to Missouri Families to Secure Their Financial Future
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), April 20, 2008 - Missouri Governor Matt Blunt has offered Missouri families important information about earthquake insurance following this morning's 5.2 magnitude earthquake.
In a statement, Gov. Blunt said, "The earthquake today serves as a reminder for all Missourians to review their emergency preparedness plans," Gov. Blunt said. "I urge Missourians to review their insurance coverage as a part of this plan in order to secure the financial future of their families and homes."
"All Missourians should evaluate their personal property insurance coverage on a yearly basis," said Doug Ommen, director of the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration. "Taking the time to evaluate earthquake coverage now, could save Missourians thousands of dollars in costly repairs in the future."
The department offers answers to these important questions about earthquake insurance:
Should I purchase earthquake insurance?
Everyone should consider their own circumstances and needs when deciding whether or not to purchase earthquake coverage, but do not forget homes are a major asset for most people and that makes them worth protecting. It is also important to note that earthquake insurance may not be available immediately after an earthquake. The sale of earthquake insurance usually resumes once the threat of aftershocks diminishes.
What does earthquake insurance cover?
Earthquake insurance coverage pays for damage caused by the shaking and cracking of the home's structure, but it may also cover loss caused by a landslide, settlement, mudflow and the rising, sinking and contracting of earth resulting from an earthquake. Fire and water damage due to burst gas and water pipes is generally covered by a standard homeowner's policy. If your vehicle is damaged as the result of any earthquake and you have comprehensive coverage, the loss should be covered under your auto insurance policy.
How do I get coverage?
Coverage is available at an extra cost in the form of an endorsement to an existing insurance policy or by purchasing a separate policy. It can be purchased from most insurance agents who offer homeowner's coverage. Coverage is normally sold with deductibles equaling a percentage of the structure's policy limit. The result is that the insurance only pays for losses that exceed the deductible. Some policies treat contents and structure separately, so deductible amounts may also be applied separately.
What determines my premium?
Rates generally depend on the probability of the location of a home being affected by an earthquake. The materials used to build a home can also determine premiums. Rates may be less expensive for wood-framed homes than masonry (brick or stone) homes because they tend to withstand tremors better. The number of stories in the home and the age of the home can also play a part in the cost of coverage.
How do I know if the person selling an insurance product is licensed to protect myself against insurance fraud?
Missourians can check the financial stability of an insurance company, ensure the company and agent are licensed to do business in the state of Missouri and find out the number of complaints logged against each company by calling the Consumer Insurance Hotline at 1-800-726-7390 or visit www.insurance.mo.gov.
Where can I get more information?
If you have questions regarding your coverage, contact your insurance agent or company representative. For more information about earthquake insurance, visit www.insurance.mo.gov or call the Consumer Insurance Hotline at 1-800-726-7390.
Gov. Blunt created the Earthquake Insurance Task Force on November 21, 2007, to examine the earthquake insurance market in Missouri as well as make recommendations on how to improve structural safety standards, insure private and public infrastructure and promote continued economic growth in areas near the New Madrid fault. The group will provide a comprehensive report to the Governor by September.
New Measures to Improve Air Travel Experience
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), April 20, 2008 - FAA has announced a series of new aviation measures to strengthen passenger protections, improve consumer choice and reduce congestion, including doubling the limits on compensation airlines must pay flyers bumped from oversold flights and establishing operational improvements to cut delays this summer.
The Department today finalized changes to its so-called bumping rule, which doubles the limit on compensation airlines must pay passengers who are involuntarily bumped from their flight. Under the new rule which goes into effect next month, fliers who are involuntarily bumped would receive up to $400 if they are rescheduled to reach their destination within two hours of their original arrival time or four hours for international flights, and up to $800 if they are not rerouted within that timeframe.
The new rule also covers more flights, including those operated with aircraft seating 30 people or more; the current rule covers flights with 60 seats or more. The amount of these payments are determined by the price of the ticket and the length of the delay, and are in addition to the value of the passenger's ticket, which the flyer can use for alternate transportation or have refunded if not used.
In a statement, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. PetersIt said, "It's hard to compensate for a missed family occasion or business opportunity, but this rule will ensure flyers are more fairly reimbursed for their inconvenience.".
The Secretary also announced new air traffic measures designed to help cut delays this summer. The first involves new and greater flexibility for aircraft to use alternative routes in the sky to avoid severe weather. This includes a new routing alternative that provides an "escape route" into Canadian airspace from the New York metropolitan area so airlines can fly around summer thunderstorms and high winds.
BofA Launches Major Art Exhibition and Loan Program
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), April 20, 2008 - The Bank of America Art Exhibition Program offers museums the opportunity to mount shows curated from the company's extensive collection of paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures and art objects.
Museums participating in the program in 2008 include the International Center of Photography (New York), the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Philadelphia), the St. Louis Museum of Art, the Mint Museum of Art (Charlotte), the Boca Raton Museum of Art and a number of other institutions across the country. These exhibitions will allow audiences to experience extraordinary works of art from the Bank of America Collection, some of which have never been on public view.
"The scale and scope of this program is unmatched in the art world," said Millicent Gaudieri, Executive Director, Association of Art Museum Directors. "Bank of America - which is renowned for having one of the most expansive art collections in the world - is addressing a real need among museums. Not only do these exhibits have extraordinary curatorial value, but they help museums by covering most of the major costs associated with the exhibit. This program will be very popular, both for the museums and their visitors."
The largest exhibition scheduled for this year, at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, is Reverberations: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Bank of America Collection, a unique collaborative exhibition of exceptional works from the 1920s through the present drawn from the Bank of America Collection. The show will feature approximately 80 paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints by prominent American artists including Milton Avery, Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Gilliam, Ellsworth Kelly, John Marin, Elizabeth Murray, Ed Paschke, Faith Ringgold, Edward Ruscha and Frank Stella. Reverberations, curated by Robert Cozzolino, Curator of Modern Art at the Pennsylvania Academy (128 North Broad Street, Philadelphia), opens on June 28 and will continue through September 21.
Other exhibitions include The Art Books of Henri Matisse; American Impressionists; The Wyeth Family: Three Generations; Andy Warhol Portfolios; the Hewitt Collection of African-American Art; and Art of the West featuring works by Oscar Berninghaus, Alfred J. Miller, E. Irvin Couse, Frank Tenney Johnson and others.
Additional shows curated from the Bank of America Art Exhibition's extensive collection of paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures and art objects will be seen at the St. Louis University Museum of Art and Sheldon Galleries; Union Station and Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City.
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