N.Y.C Earthquake Risk
According to a study by Lynn R. Sykes who is a researcher at Columbia University, New York City has a major risk of earthquakes. Sykes writes that there is “an active seismic zone running at least 25 miles from Stamford, Conn., to the Hudson Valley town of Peekskill, N.Y., where it passes less than a mile north of the Indian Point nuclear power plant.” This area is only about 40 miles north of Manhattan and even less for the Bronx. Sykes writes that this seismic zone can generate at least a magnitude 6 earthquake. This would be enough to devastate New York City. Additionally, New York City is located near water, so there is also a tsunami threat.
Nuclear fallout might be a risk following an earthquake because a nuclear plant is located within a mile of the fault line. This would leave the surrounding area uninhabitable and hurt recover efforts.
DEVASTATION
Since New York City is a densely populated metropolitan area with many tall buildings, an earthquake could cost billions in damages and cause countless fatalities. According to a 2005 estimate by the New York City Area Consortium for Earthquake Loss Mitigation, a large earthquake between magnitude 5 and 6 in New York City could cause between $39 billion to $197 billion in damages. Skyscrapers in Manhattan would crumble and cloud the city similar to the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11. However, the researchers predict that the major bridges in New York City will withstand the earthquake.
Additionally, many New Yorkers take public transportation such as the MTA subway system. According to the MTA, in 2015 the average daily ridership for subways on a single weekday was 5,650,610. The average for the whole weekend was 5,943,149. If an earthquake was to occur, thousands of New Yorkers would be trapped underground and city streets may collapse as well due to the various tunnels and infrastructure under NYC.
AFTERMATH AND RECOVERY
After an earthquake, it is likely that buildings will have collapsed and there will be much damage to the infrastructure of the city. This would take months to year to rebuild and there will be a high need for engineers and construction workers to help construct the city again.
Skyscrapers would be rebuilt in Manhatan to be earthquake resistant. This can be done by building them so they are flexible and resistant to swaying. Springs may also be built intot he foundation (As shown below) to absorb some of the shock.