The Mid-Atlantic and New England regions have had their fair-share of surprises this week: first, a 5.9 earthquake just outside of Richmond, Virginia which shook the area from Florida to Maine. Next, Hurricane Irene, which is now looking like it might just scrape by the very vulnerable New York/New Jersey areas, but could still do some serious damage along the Carolina coastlines.

The earthquake alarmed many east coast officials because they typically do not plan for quakes — which is part of the problem. East coast emergency management officials should begin training for earthquakes, as isotatic rebound is sure to cause more and more as our planet continues to warm.