Nothing silly about stating the obvious; that living in a particular area may put one at higher risk for certain things than people in other areas may face. Since you have obviously chosen to live at the northern edge of the New Madrid fault, you are obviously willing to accept a certain amount of risk for earthquake that people in other areas dont face.

I don't agree with people who got creamed in 93 rebuilding in the same place. But this year you have people getting hit in areas that were high and dry in 93, at least in other parts of Illinois. That is because their grandparents built in areas that the levee builders assured them would be safe. Again, manmade modifications to waterways can have positive or negative benefits in the long run, and what is or isnt flood prone can change. One of my best friend is a state climatologist/physical geographer who specializes in flood events and has been serving as an expert witness for court proceedings related to katrina flooding. If you like i will pass along his email and you can argue this with him.