Officials from five states lying on what's known as the New Madrid Faultline are urging residents to prepare for an impending earthquake now, while they still can.

Although no one knows when a catastrohic quake might occur, their sheer unpredictability combined with a history of tremors every every 50 years or so, tell geologists a major quake is now overdue.

The faultline, which runs from the northeastern corner of Arkansas through four other states ending near Cairo, Illinois, poses serious threat to the residents of Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois, says the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

From 1811 to 1812, this fault produced some of the strongest tremors ever to have struck the continental U.S. According to a recent article in Claims Guides, a leading online insurance publication, "scientists say similar quakes [today] could kill and injure thousands from St. Louis to Memphis."

The Center for Earthquake Research and Information at the University of Memphis agrees, and recommends residents of the affected states get ready now in order to reduce losses when faced with this kind of unannounced monster.

Because homeowner's policies do not typcially cover earthquake damage or loss, residents of the affected states should also talk to their insurance agents to determine how best to cover their home and possessions in case of a debilitating quake.

[To find out how to ready yourself and your home for an earthquake, read the Claims Guides article here.]