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New York Post
5 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
NYC could face $4.7B in damage if rocked by earthquake similar to resent temblors
It wouldn't take an unusually strong earthquake to cause severe damage across the Big Apple, analysis shows, but geology experts say New Yorkers shouldn't be trembling about the Big One coming any time soon — even as the city experienced its third temblor in just over a year Monday afternoon. An earthquake clocking in at just 5.2 on the Richter scale would cause about $4.7 billion in damage if it struck today, and also leave around 100 buildings 'completely damaged' and about 2,000 people homeless, according to a 2019 disaster assessment done by the city. That analysis was based on a quake of the same magnitude that shook the city on Aug. 10, 1884, which sent chimneys toppling and brick walls shattering. Advertisement But that was over 140 years ago, and the story could be far different for the modern city if the same quake struck again, the assessment found. 3 There have been three earthquakes in northern New Jersey since April 2024, each of which was felt in New York City. Tam Nguyen / NYPost Design 'Considering the amount of building and development in New York City since 1884, if the same magnitude earthquake occurred today, the amount of damage to people and property would be far worse,' the city's report read. Advertisement And while experts think the odds of such a catastrophe are slim, many say it's ultimately impossible to predict what might happen in the fickle field of tectonics. 'The short answer is that no one really knows,' said Dr. James Davis, a seismology professor at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. 'It's pretty low, though, if you look at the overall risk.' 'What makes it different for New York City is there's just a lot of infrastructure. So even a relatively low magnitude earthquake could have the possibility for some damage,' he added. 3 New York City could face more than $4 billion in damage if hit by the same sized quake that struck in 1884. Christopher Sadowski Advertisement Davis' warning came just hours after New York was shaken on Tuesday afternoon by a 2.8 magnitude earthquake, which followed a 3.0 originating just miles west in northern New Jersey's Ramapo Fault zone on Saturday night. And in April 2024, the city was hit by a 4.8 magnitude quake out of the Ramapo, which was about 3.9 times weaker than the 1884 5.2 — though still relatively close in magnitude by the Richter scale, where strength increases by 32 times for each preceding whole number. The recent frequency of temblors coming out of the Ramapo is 'unusual,' Davis conceded, but he reassured New Yorkers that it doesn't mean the Earth is getting ready to unleash something big. 'It's definitely an increase in frequency, but we don't think that it's an increase in frequency that portends anything,' he said. Advertisement 'It's more like, if you're used to rain every few weeks, and then we get a week where it rains three days in a row. You don't say, 'Oh my God, it's going to rain every day.'' 3 Experts reassured New Yorkers that they likely don't have anything to fear from a catastrophic earthquake. Negro Elkha – Dr. Kenneth Miller — a Rutgers University Earth sciences professor — thinks Tuesday's temblor was an aftershock from Saturday's. He agreed that while it was difficult to estimate whether New York could be in store for serious damage from another quake, it probably won't be happening any time soon. 'It's very likely not a worry,' Miller said. 'You never want to say nothing happened. But it seems very unlikely that any that any larger earthquake would occur in the immediate or near future.' Miller estimates it would take between a 6 and 7 magnitude earthquake to bring mayhem to Manhattan, but said the Ramapo Fault zone probably doesn't have that kind of power in it. And the fault zone — which generally moves northeast by southwest — doesn't even create the kinds of vertical moving earthquakes that typically topple buildings and spark tsunamis, Professor Davis explained. Advertisement New York City's skyscrapers are also designed to withstand earthquakes up to 6.5 magnitude, meaning most modern buildings would survive a serious shaking. But despite those reassurances, Davis said every earthquake should be a reminder of how important it is to adhere to safe building standards and to continue studying the seismology of the area. 'We should be aware that we do live in an area that gets earthquakes,' he said. 'But I wouldn't walk around in fear.'
CBS News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Vietnam 50 Years Later: Vietnamese veterans reflect on "Black April" 50 years on
For the Vietnamese community, April 30 is known as Black April, or Tháng Tư Đen. It's a day to lament and reflect on the fall of Saigon and of South Vietnam. In the two decades of conflict, experts estimate as many as 2 million civilians on both sides were killed, along with some 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. The U.S. Military estimates upwards of 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers also lost their lives in the war. For those who survived, many had to escape as it was no longer safe to stay under communist rule. Pauleen Le sat down with four Vietnamese veterans who now call Minnesota home: Dr. Tuong Ho Ha, Tam Nguyen, Dieu Tran and Trang Thanh Son. All four men say the pain they feel today is just as real as it was 50 years ago. "All of the memories still live in our hearts," said Trang Thanh Son, who served as an infantryman with the Vietnamese Ranger Corp. "They are never forgotten. I still remember the day I joined the war, holding my weapon until the day we had to put our weapons down and surrender. The pain has just gotten stronger and stronger. That pain will live with us forever until the day we die." "I'm not angry, but I'm really sad," said Dieu Tran, who served in the Vietnamese Armored Cavalry Corp. "I'm sad for (Vietnam), for the destiny of the country. All of the heroic and great leaders of the country were gone. That's why we lost the country. So frankly, that's the truth, and I'm just telling you the truth as an honest soldier." The 2020 census estimates Minnesota's Vietnamese population is more than 30,000 strong. Watch Pauleen Le's full interview with Dr. Tuong Ho Ha, Tam Nguyen, Dieu Tran and Trang Thanh Son, presented in Vietnamese with English subtitles. This story is part of the WCCO documentary "Vietnam 50 Years Later: Reflection on a War that Changed Minnesota," by reporter Pauleen Le and photojournalist Art Phillips. Watch the full documentary below, or on our YouTube channel.
