“Big One” Predicted to Hit California by 2024

It’s been predicted in California for years. Known as “The Big One,” it’s the massive earthquake expected to bring untold destruction to California – with an 80 percent chance of hitting California by 2024. But despite the fact that experts have been predicting it for such a long time, does that mean California is ready for it?

According to an article by Christina Schroeter in California’s Daily Titan, Southern Californians are questioning the state’s preparedness in the light of FEMA’s response to Hurricane Katrina. Schroeter says researchers with the Southern California Earthquake Center say there is an 80 to 90 percent chance an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or greater will hit Southern California before 2024, putting 62 percent of California residents in zones of high-earthquake danger.

Schroeter reports that both the government and some companies have taken action to prepare the earthquake-prone state for such an eventuality. The Southern California Gas Company, for example, “has continuously upgraded the gas pipeline to withstand a major quake,” she says.

Similarly, after a 1994 quake, the state required all hospital, police and fire buildings to be retrofitted to withstand any seismic activity, with a deadline of 2008 for all buildings to make the changes.

But that doesn’t mean there still isn’t work to be done, Schroeter says. Homes and buildings should still be retrofitted before a major earthquake to ensure they are properly reinforced and up to code.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.dailytitan.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/14/4327e58b48915