East Coast earthquake created a ‘new normal’. Huff Post, August 23. On the first anniversary of the surprise quake on the east coast there have been many articles about the event in the media today. And some lessons appear to have been learned. An excerpt from the Huff Post article:

Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia are revising their emergency planning documents to include earthquakes. The response of many East Coast residents – many of whom fled high-rise buildings – went counter to the behavior recommended by experts during a quake.

“It’s fair to say that no one thought we’d have an earthquake,” said Christopher Geldart, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. The agency is hoping to educate the public about what to do next time. It is even encouraging participation in a regional earthquake drill this fall.

According to a local news article, it was a very rare event – repeat interval of 2,000 years!