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Crisis Response

Major New Madrid earthquake strikes the central Mississippi Valley

On January 23, 1812, a powerful earthquake centered near New Madrid (present-day Missouri) produced violent shaking across the Mississippi Valley, following strong shocks that began in December 1811.

Major New Madrid earthquake strikes the central Mississippi Valley

One of the largest seismic events in early U.S. history, it reshaped the frontier landscape, disrupted settlements and river navigation, and underscored the need for local and territorial responses to natural disasters.

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