Earthquakes are an ever-present reality in California. Yet amid the demands of daily life, it’s easy for seismic preparedness to slip to the bottom of the priority list—until a major event reminds us of the risks we face.
As communities across the region continue to grow and evolve, now is the […]
During an earthquake, the ground moves suddenly and forcefully, placing extreme stress on buildings. When structures are not properly designed or reinforced, elements such as walls, facades, parapets, ceilings, and other components can fail, creating serious safety hazards for occupants and pedestrians.
Why Does This Matter?
It matters because never before have […]
In the morning of January 10, 2025, San Francisco Bay Area residents were reminded of California’s precarious geological reality. A preliminary magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck near the San Francisco Zoo, shaking the city awake. While light and weak shaking rippled across the region, no injuries or significant damage were reported. […]
Insurance carriers continue to closely monitor California’s earthquake liabilities, much like they track risks from wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. With seismologists warning that California is overdue for a major earthquake, property owners and insurance providers alike are growing increasingly concerned. As these risks escalate, so do the costs associated with […]
Many Californians live in earthquake denial. We laugh them off, ignore their ever-present threat to our lives and livelihoods. After all, some reason, we’ve lived through earthquakes before. Why should the next one be different?
The stark reality is that protecting ourselves from earthquakes should be on all of our minds. […]
Research studies that followed point to Ridgecrest as the impetus of successive ground-shaking that may create a chain reaction from one fault to the next, until it reaches the San Andreas.
Spanning 750 miles along the coast of California from the Salton Sea to Eureka, the San Andreas Fault is cocked […]
Californians are no strangers to seismic activity. The state’s high earthquake risk stems from the complex network of active fault lines running beneath our communities, making areas like Greater Los Angeles especially vulnerable.
The closer you are to a fault, the more likely you are to be impacted by seismic activity. […]
Most Californians have experienced earthquakes. There are the large ones – sudden, jarring jolts followed by more strong shaking that can last from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. Farther away, these feel like a gentle “bump,” often followed by more rolling shaking.[i]
When a small quake strikes nearby, […]
We were all shaken by reports of February’s earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria. Nearly 50,000 were confirmed dead, and at least 164,000 buildings collapsed or were so badly damaged they need to be demolished. From the comfort of our homes, it’s easy to think we are immune to such […]
While Tokyo has its iconic Godzilla, Los Angeles has long been known for fearing the San Andreas Fault. But there’s an even more dangerous fault in L.A.’s backyard that could cause more destruction and loss of life than the San Andreas: the Puente Hills fault. Lying beneath densely populated, older […]
