Sichuan earthquake occurs elsewhere

On May 12, 2008, at 2:28 p.m. Central Daylight Time, the 7.9 earthquake that occurred OTL in Sichuan Province in China instead occurs...on the New Madrid Fault in the U.S.

Effects, anyone?
 
the region is relatively sparsely populated, buildings are generally shorter and better-constructed, and middle and high school students live at home and not in dorms so there won't be massive losses like there were in Sichuan. Plus, most people possess the means to evacuate, so unlike Katrina, there won't be people stranded begging for help.
 
st louis and memphis have pretty big metro areas. Also the dams on the tennesee river, if the one above paducah,ky went it would devastate almost everything clear down to gulf. tho i dont know if a 7.9 earthquake would bust the damn dam...
 
the region is relatively sparsely populated, buildings are generally shorter and better-constructed, and middle and high school students live at home and not in dorms so there won't be massive losses like there were in Sichuan. Plus, most people possess the means to evacuate, so unlike Katrina, there won't be people stranded begging for help.

Sparsely populated? St. Louis and Memphis are within easy damage distance if the New Madrid fault goes off, not to mention the thousands of smaller cities and towns up and down the Mississippi.
 
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