Vacations Banned as Illinois City Takes Quake Prediction Seriously
City officials said Friday they are taking seriously the prediction of a Dec. 3 earthquake and have ordered about a dozen department heads not to plan any vacations for that date.
“We’re just taking precautions and being as prepared as we can be,” Deputy City Manager Jeff Doherty said. “If it happens we want to be as prepared as possible.”
The no-vacation policy does not yet apply to the city’s other 250 employees, Doherty said.
Climatologist Iben Browning of New Mexico has said that tidal forces will be at a high point on Dec. 2 and into Dec. 3, which could trigger a quake along the New Madrid fault line.
One of the largest earthquakes in North America took place early in the 19th Century along the fault line, which runs through southern Illinois.
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