Ready or not: Preparing for the 'big one'

As events in Japan this past March showed us, “Big Ones” really do happen. Richter 9 is about as large as they come, an event so enormous it takes away the breath of even a geologist like myself.

It’s no comfort to think that quakes of that same general size are likely along the western boundaries of the Lower 48 and also in the region where Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee come together. In short, major quakes here in the U.S. simply must be expected.

And there are other “big ones,” too. As we’ve seen this spring, tornadoes and flooding are most unfortunately a natural part of our world. And...