This article is about the potential for a great quake in San Francisco, but the problem is actually much more widespread. LA is vulnerable as well, though not, as popular imagination has it, from the San Andreas fault, which is quite a distance away. Of much more concern (particularly to me, as a property owner in the South Bay) is the Newport-Inglewood fault, which comes within a few miles of my house. That's the fault that ruptured in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, and a seven on it would be much worse than an eight on the San Andreas, because it runs right through the LA metro area.
The Northwest is also in danger--there could be a magnitude nine in the Seattle area at almost any time. Of course, the greatest danger is in those areas that get quakes so rarely that they're in no way prepared for them, such as the east coast. There's still a lot of unreinforced masonry there that will come tumbling down in the event of a significant temblor, and they're not unheard of.
Of course, in Florida, I live in one of the most seismically inactive places in the country. I can put all kinds of things on top of other things here that I'd never consider doing in California. Instead, we have to watch the weather for hurricanes half the year.
When we were at the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco earthquake conference in 2006 we talked with several officials in San Fran (mid level not the top folks) who loved our solar trailers. They wanted to buy them and said that they would save thousands of lives but that the city leaders were brainless oafs who would not buy them.
So when San Fran is destroyed and thousands die, the rednecks that they hate in the military will be the ones to save their sorry lives.
I live on the edge of a "severe" zone in that map. We probably need to do a bit more buttoning up of the house, but we're (a) insured and (b) well stocked with supplies. I trust that should this event occur, the government will end up bailing out my uninsured neighbors and suing my insurance company (preventing me from collecting) and (b) confiscating my supplies to spread the wealth around.
That's why I like living in the US North East (but not in the Snow Belt). Mother Earth never gets angry at us. No hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, or anything else to speak of. The weather isn't as mild as Southern California, but it never tries to kill you either, so that's a plus.
Dallas is rather inert. Aside, from the odd tornado, flash flood, and....Botulism outbreak!!! Other than that, its a great place.
Any day it's not raining frogs is a good day, say I.
Any day it's not raining frogs is a good day, say I.
That has got to be one of the funniest things I have read in quite a while.
Even here in the Midwest, the New Madrid fault will rupture eventually and take out St. Louis and cause damage hundreds of miles away.
There are two big problems with earthquakes: No warning and widespread damage and casualties.
I lived in the SF area for a few years. The figure I seem to recall is that in the next 1906-equivalent quake about 10,000 will be killed outright (mostly from collapsing brick buildings).
There's effectively no warning for a tornado, either, but one won't kill thousands in 5 minutes.
Even after Ike's eye went over my house, I rather deal with a hurricane than an earthquake. I had days to prepare for Ike, and if I chose to do so, I could even evacuate ahead of time. Can't do that with an earthquake. Add in the occassional fire problem, and I have a lot of appreciation for the people who keep LA a nice place I can visit, and not have to stay.