Things are actually going to be flying through the air when this thing hits so unless you want to get a concussion from that copy of “Gravity’s Rainbow' you still haven’t finished, get under a table or desk.Įven the spindliest of desks can protect you. Get under something to protect your neck and head. For those of you who enjoy yoga, think of this as the Mother Earth submission pose. Get down on the ground before the earthquake throws you down onto the ground. What if there's a clearing outside, you say? Oh, what part of L.A. That’s because glass will be shattering out of windows and raining down onto you. Fight the urge to flee the building even if you are worried about becoming trapped in rubble. Think about what might happen if you’re on a treadmill that unexpectedly starts moving. If you run while the earth is shaking you are likely to sprain an ankle, break a leg or a myriad other injuries because the ground, again, is moving. Once more for the folks in the back: Do not run. That last part is really important and too many people got bad information from the “Earthquake' episode of “Saved By The Bell' so please stay with us here. There's a 31% chance that it'll be an earthquake measuring magnitude 7.5m.There's a 46% chance that it'll be an earthquake measuring magnitude 7m.There's a 60% chance that it'll be an earthquake measuring magnitude 6.7m.The USGS has some tangible estimates on a 'Strong' or 'Major' event in Los Angeles in the next 30 years: She and other scientists are sure that a big one is coming, even if we don’t know exactly where or when.

Seismologist Lucy Jones is pretty clear: “This will happen.

Search and rescue efforts will last for 19 days.11 days out, people will start to drink more.270,000 people will be immediately displaced from their homes.750 people will be trapped inside buildings with complete collapse.1,600 fires will ignite and most of those will be large fires.According to The ShakeOut Scenario, a 7.8 earthquake hitting along the southern San Andreas fault on a non-windy day at about 9 a.m. But if a major quake was to hit on a different fault. Tsunamis are much more likely in subduction zones and the San Andreas fault is not a subduction zone. And the Westside is not going to fall into the ocean either. The higher magnitude means it will also last longer than Northridge, but where you are is going to play the largest factor in how this quake feels to you. When we refer to 'The Big One' we mean a 7.8 magnitude (or higher) quake striking along the southern San Andreas fault. The Big One will be at least 11 times stronger than the Ridgecrest earthquake and 44 times stronger than Northridge.Ĥ4 times bigger than Northridge?!?!?!?!!?!?!!!!!? When people talk about 'The Big One' they mean this? Thousands of Angelenos were driven from their home following the 6.7 magnitude quake. That Easter Sunday quake and the Ridgecrest quakes had a higher magnitude than the 1994 Northridge quake, but were less damaging.Īykui Alaverdyan walks over rubble after taking some of her belongings from her Hollywood Boulevard apartment building on Januthat was destroyed in the Northridge earthquake. In 2010, a 7.2 quake hit in Baja, and it was felt in parts of SoCal. These earthquakes followed a 25 year 'quiet period' after Northridge, which was a 6.7 magnitude earthquake that killed 58, injured more than 9,000 and caused more than $49 billion in economic loss. The 7.1 lasted 12 seconds and was felt by about 30 million people. The Ridgecrest earthquakes that hit on July 4 and July 5 with a magnitude 6.4 and 7.1, respectively, were the most recent major earthquake in Southern California. When was the last time SoCal had a 'Strong' earthquake? you might want to look at that map above. But for you, the biggest factor will be how close you are to the epicenter of the quake. The magnitude of the quake, how deep or shallow it hits, the size of the fault, the speed of the tectonic plates and a bunch of other factors.

What factors affect how strongly a quake is felt? Most of the earthquakes on record do not meet the USGS classification of “Strong.” (Courtesy Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology, IRIS.

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