1916 earthquake would cause more harm in Birmingham today – Stories from The Birmingham News – al.com
Alabama’s largest recorded earthquake, nearly 93 years ago, caused panic but little else, according to accounts of the quake from The Birmingham News. 
The 5.1 magnitude quake centered in the Irondale area hit just after 4 p.m. Oct. 18, 1916, and was felt in seven other states. Hundreds of chimneys were toppled, windows cracked and water wells quickly bled dry in the Birmingham area. No injuries or deaths were reported.
If an earthquake of equal strength centered at Irondale hit today, it would exact a much higher toll on people and property, according to a Geological Survey of Alabama computer analysis.
In the 1916 temblor, workers emptied office buildings in downtown Birmingham, The News reported. "The sensation on the upper floors of buildings was similar to that of standing on the deck of a vessel in a slight sea. There was the slight pitch, with the suggestion of a roll," according to a News account.
The Geological Survey’s 2007 analysis showed nearly $1 billion in damage for building-related losses in Alabama from such a quake. The quake, according to the analysis, would destroy 26 buildings, cause extensive damage to 302 others, moderate damage to 3,086 buildings and slight damage to 13,854 structures.