Charleston, SC – South Carolina residents are being urged to review earthquake safety precautions as Earthquake Preparedness Week begins Sunday, October 11, and continues through Saturday, October 17. Officials are highlighting significant earthquake hazards in the Lowcountry, where potentially damaging shaking remains a concern despite major earthquakes being relatively uncommon.
According to the National Weather Service and earthquake preparedness materials featuring U.S. Geological Survey hazard mapping, South Carolina’s Lowcountry faces some of the highest earthquake shaking hazards along the eastern United States.
The Charleston area, including Charleston County, Berkeley County and Dorchester County, sits within a historically active seismic region. The region experienced one of the most destructive earthquakes in U.S. history on August 31, 1886, when a powerful earthquake devastated portions of Charleston and caused widespread damage…