Here are some tips you can take now to prepare – Orange County Register

Earthquake risk

It's only a matter of time before another big earthquake hits California, and since September is National Preparedness Month, here are some tips and a little history of earthquakes in California.

What you can do today

Prepare and protect your home before an earthquake. Reduce the risk of damage and injury from an earthquake by identifying potential hazards in your home. Complete your earthquake preparedness by identifying and taking measures against the following hazards:

• Tall, heavy furniture that may tip over, such as bookcases, cupboards and modular wall units.
• Water heaters that don't meet California standards can explode.
• Stoves and appliances that may move enough to burst gas lines or electrical wires.
• Hanging plants in heavy pots that may come off the hook and swing away.
• Place heavy picture frames or mirrors above your bed.
• Latches on kitchen cabinets and other cabinets that prevent doors from staying closed during a shake.
• Fragile or heavy items stored on high or open shelves.
• A masonry chimney could collapse and fall through an unsupported roof and into your home.
• Flammable liquids, such as paints and cleaning products, are safer stored in a garage or outdoor shed.

You can learn about earthquake insurance from the California Department of Insurance.

If you have homeowners insurance in California, your insurance company must offer earthquake insurance for you. Insurance companies must offer this insurance every two years.

There is a limit to the amount of earthquake insurance that can be paid. The purpose of earthquake insurance is to help you rebuild your home. It does not compensate for everything that you lose.

Your application must be in writing and must state the amount of coverage, deductible, and premium.

You have 30 days to accept the offer.

The California Earthquake Authority offers the most earthquake insurance in California.

For more information, please see below.

Earthquake authority

Earthquake Country

Fema

This map, from the National Earthquake Hazard Model released earlier this year, shows the likelihood of a damaging earthquake occurring in the United States over the next 100 years.

Plate motion

The rate at which plates move along the San Andreas Fault is about 1.3 inches per year, roughly the same rate that a fingernail grows. A 2017 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report detailed a study of the southern San Andreas Fault, which found evidence of 10 earthquakes with magnitudes between 7.0 and 7.5 between 800 and 1857. Projections based on this study predict a 16% chance of a magnitude 7.5 or greater earthquake occurring near Kern County in the next 30 years.

Predictive Model

The USGS cautions that while the latest forecast models are a significant improvement from the 2008 version, they are still only approximations. The USGS uses two different scientific models to predict the probability of earthquakes.

1. Earthquake rupture forecasts show when and where the earth is likely to slip along the state's many faults.

2. Seismic motion prediction models predict the subsequent shaking caused by fault rupture.

California earthquake

Below is a list of significant earthquakes that have occurred in California. These are earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 or greater, or that caused loss of life or damages of more than $200,000. This list has not been adjusted for inflation. This list includes significant earthquakes that occurred with epicenters outside of California, but within about 100 miles of the California state line. The list dates from the most recent to 1933.

Pictured above is the John Muir School in Long Beach, which was damaged by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake on March 10, 1933. The quake struck at 5:54 pm and damaged over 230 school buildings. This devastating damage led the state to enact a series of earthquake building codes, including standards that required all school buildings to be earthquake-resistant.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates long-term earthquake hazards and provides local risk assessments to communities. More than two-thirds of the annual earthquake damage in the United States occurs in California, and 80% of the damage in California occurs in the following 10 counties:

Top 10 Counties Estimated for Annual Earthquake Damage (% of State Total)

1. Los Angeles (30.6%)
2. Santa Clara (8.9%)
3. Alameda (8%)
4. Orange (7%)
5. San Bernardino (6%)
6. Riverside (5.6%)
7. Contra Costa (4.6%)
8. San Francisco (3.8%)
9. San Mateo (3.5%)
10. San Diego (3.3%)

Movement monitoring

In the late 1980s, the USGS monitored 16 faults (the major ones). In 1994, the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake occurred on an unrecognized fault. This earthquake was said to be the costliest earthquake in U.S. history, and scientists began investigating and monitoring many other faults in the state. As of 2017, 350 faults were being monitored.

Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, California Department of Conservation, Los Angeles Public Library, California Earthquake Probability Working Group