As those in the New York tri-state area attempt to make sense of the 4.8-magnitude earthquake that rumbled residents on Friday morning, many transplants from quake-prone areas aren’t processing the rare temblor with the same degree of shock.
Many whose loved ones are from Taiwan, which just experienced a massive 7.4-magnitude quake, as well as those from California, where the seismic events are a regular occurrence, weren’t fazed by the tremor that shook parts of the East Coast. However, after seeing confusion and uncertainty from those around them, several pointed out that the lack of government preparedness and safety instruction is undeniable.
“It’s the role of leaders and government officials to at least know a minimal amount because in the vacuum of that knowledge, people look to their institutions and their leaders for guidance,” SueAnn Shiah, who’s Taiwanese American and has been checking on friends from the island in recent days, told NBC News.
The earthquake, whose epicenter was in Lebanon, New Jersey, struck just moments before 10:30 a.m. E.T. and was felt from Maryland to Maine. For those with family and friends in Taiwan, earthquake safety has long been a regular part of life. The island has a robust early-warning system, modern seismic building codes, and a significantly upgraded infrastructure that was largely prompted by a deadly 1999 earthquake, experts say.
In the U.S., those in California, Oregon and Washington can also use MyShake, an early warning earthquake app that uses data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s ShakeAlert system.
But the relative rareness of East Coast earthquakes meant many were caught off guard. Shiah, who previously lived in Taiwan, said she wished officials would’ve been more communicative after Friday’s earthquake.
“Usually when it’s in Taiwan, you get an alert on your phone before the earthquake happens or immediately after, and so there is just a sense of preparedness and infrastructure…
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