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SALT LAKE CITY -
The earthquake in Haiti is top of mind for emergency planners meeting this week in Salt Lake City. They are trying to get ready for what might happen if a similar earthquake were to strike along the Wasatch Front.
Emergency officials say it would be catastrophic.
"We're going to see fatalities somewhere in the 2,500 range. We'll have life-threatening injuries somewhere around 1,500," said Bob Carey, the earthquake readiness manager for Utah's Department of Homeland Security.
Maps generated by a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) computer program reveal just how much destruction a 7.0 earthquake would cause. Nearly 100,000 will be displaced. Highways on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley and leading into Davis County will be severely damaged. The dollar figure on damage is estimated at $35.4 billion. (See maps)
Older, more established areas like Salt Lake City's Avenues and Sugarhouse neighborhoods, and older pockets in Murray, Ogden and Bountiful may face significant damage, Carey said, because homes were built before more stringent building safety codes were put in place.
FEMA has identified Utah as a priority for an inevitable disaster. Today, government officials met to plan for how they'd respond, ending with 9-counties participating in a disaster drill in 2012.
"A lot of the plans that we've had need to be taken down and dusted off a little bit and we're doing it," said Mike Stever of the Utah Department of Health.
Clicking the link below will display Utah.Gov's information concerning earthquake preparedness, along with other usefull references.
FOX 13's Ben Winslow will have more on News at Nine.
Emergency officials say it would be catastrophic.
"We're going to see fatalities somewhere in the 2,500 range. We'll have life-threatening injuries somewhere around 1,500," said Bob Carey, the earthquake readiness manager for Utah's Department of Homeland Security.
Maps generated by a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) computer program reveal just how much destruction a 7.0 earthquake would cause. Nearly 100,000 will be displaced. Highways on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley and leading into Davis County will be severely damaged. The dollar figure on damage is estimated at $35.4 billion. (See maps)
Older, more established areas like Salt Lake City's Avenues and Sugarhouse neighborhoods, and older pockets in Murray, Ogden and Bountiful may face significant damage, Carey said, because homes were built before more stringent building safety codes were put in place.
FEMA has identified Utah as a priority for an inevitable disaster. Today, government officials met to plan for how they'd respond, ending with 9-counties participating in a disaster drill in 2012.
"A lot of the plans that we've had need to be taken down and dusted off a little bit and we're doing it," said Mike Stever of the Utah Department of Health.
Clicking the link below will display Utah.Gov's information concerning earthquake preparedness, along with other usefull references.
FOX 13's Ben Winslow will have more on News at Nine.
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