SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Earthquake experts claim there is a 14% chance of a major earthquake in Utah during the next 50 years, and that preparation is the best thing residents can do.
“You never know when it is gong to happen,” said seismologist Eleanor Sonely who works at the University of Utah Seismology Center where she monitors earthquakes around the world.
She said knowing what to do in an earthquake can save lives, as seen in a photograph on her wall that shows the collapse of a school house in Mexico. “The children lived because they knew to duck and cover,” she said.
The kids in Ms. Sorensen's third grade class at Salt Lake's Edison Elementary got a chance to practice their duck and cover skills on Tuesday.
At 1:00 p.m. Tuesday they played the sound of a simulated earthquake over the public address system. All the kids dropped under their desks and held on.
"It was kind of fun but kind of scary,” said 6th grade student Makeila Lutali. “I just don't want a real one to happen,” she said.
For most, this duck and cover drill meant a fun diversion during a normal school day, but earth quake experts say everyone should do this. "It works. The roof collapse is the most important thing that duck and cover will prevent damage from,” Sonely said.
A 14% chance of an earthquake on Utah's Wasatch front in the next 50 years is a low probability, but still a reality. Sonely said that everyone should take whatever precautions they can when they live next to a major fault line. "It's a balance, like all things, we have the benefit of not having numerous floods or hurricanes or huge storms here. Earthquakes are relatively small compared to things in other places. It [Utah] is a good place to live."
