Time Asia — October 10, 2017

An earthquake on Sept. 23 cracked the concrete in San Gregorio Atlapulco, Mexico

ASK MOST AMERICANS ABOUT THE

greatest disaster threat and they’re

likely to give the same answer:

hurricanes—especially after the

recent havoc they’ve wreaked. That

awareness is valuable. But it’s just as

important to realize how vulnerable

we are to another kind of disaster:

earthquakes.

Consider the Sept. 19 quake near

Mexico City. At least 333 people

died and 38 buildings collapsed, and

those tallies could rise. It was a grim

reminder of just how devastating a

seismic event can be. And it could

have easily happened in the U.S.—

not just in California but in cities like

Memphis, New York, Anchorage, Salt

Lake, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

Large swaths of the U.S. are overdue

for a seismic event(see chart). Few

are as prepared as Mexico City.

Mexico’s recent quake occurred

32 years after the city’s 1985 shock,

which killed about 10,000 people

and destroyed 3,000 buildings. Since

then, Mexico has worked to shore

up its earthquake preparedness. In

‘WE CAN MAKE IT A LOT HARDER. AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO.’—NEXT PAGE

ENVIRONMENT

America is

not ready

for the

earthquakes

ahead

By Kathryn Miles

HIGHEST

HAZARD

LOWEST

HAZARD

SOURCE: USGS

Hot zones for potential earthquakes

PHOTOGRAPH BY KIRSTEN LUCE