Seismophobia gains ground.
KDKA (Pittsburgh) reports:
There were 11 earthquakes in eastern Ohio in 2011.
Most of them were not very powerful and caused little damage, but some people are asking about emergency plans if a major quake hits the area.
The new phenomenon of earthquakes in eastern Ohio is puzzling many people.
Some geologists say that discarded brine used while drilling for natural gas is being injected near fault lines. It acts as a lubricant, inducing the earthquakes.
Emergency management officials in and near Youngstown say they have a general plan that covers any and all emergencies.
“Specific to that, earthquakes are so broad in category that we don’t have a one-on-one say do this, do this, do this. It falls under that emergency operations plan,” said Clark Jones, of the Mahoning County EMA.
Jones says officials near Youngstown worked together to create a checklist for earthquake preparedness.
“It gives a general outline of what to do prior to earthquakes to be prepared for them if you’re in an area that’s prone to earthquakes, which we seem to be all of a sudden,” he said…