Dallas

Chances of Big Quake in North Texas “Very Remote”: Experts

The chance of a major earthquake in North Texas is "very remote," according to the Dallas Office of Emergency Management.

“The chances of us having anything remotely close to 5.0 is .23 percent,” said OEM Managing Director Rocky Vaz. "That’s the quake that would cause some damage.”

Thirty-four earthquakes have rocked North Texas since October, 15 just since the start of 2015.

The strongest were recorded at 3.5 and 3.6 in magnitude.

“We probably have as many questions as you do,” Vaz told members of Dallas City Council’s Public Safety Committee Monday morning.

“If somebody has told me in my first year we’d be dealing with earthquakes and Ebola, I would be a little bit surprised,” said Dallas City Councilmember Jennifer Gates.

Dallas and Irving are now working together to build a regional task force to better prepare North Texans for any future earthquake activity.

“We don’t know why it’s happening, but we know what’s happening and what the magnitude of that is and educate people on what to do if they feel the earth shaking, how to take cover and how to protect themselves,” said Vaz.

The task force also includes SMU seismologists and scientists from the United States Geological Survey.
 

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