You Don't Want to Be in a Hospital When Big One Strikes the San Andreas Fault
Many Southern California hospitals near the San Andreas Fault aren't prepared for the Big One, according to an investigation by the California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting.
Earthquake Watch: Are we Overdue for 'The Big One'?
If you've been slacking on earthquake preparedness, maybe now is the time to take it seriously. A study released today indicates a portion of the San Andreas fault tends to produce a massive earthquake every 45 to 144 years. The last one from this region in Central California occurred on the fault in 1857, putting it nine years behind "schedule."
4.3 Quake Rattles Inland Empire Early This Morning
An earthquake described by one authority as "a mild jolt" shook things up this morning in the Inland Empire, according to cbs2. The 4.3 magnitude quake hit at 4:03 a.m. and was centered "about 3 miles west-northwest of Beaumont," in the San Gorgonio Pass, which is 12 miles east of Moreno Valley and 71 miles east of Los Angeles, an area born of the San Andreas Fault system itself. So far there have been no reports of damage. Earlier this week a 4.3 quake rattled on the Banning branch of the same large fault system.
Is the 'Big One' 15 Years Late and Counting?
It seems the San Andreas fault has a habit of shaking us up pretty badly once every 137 years, and scientists from UC Irvine believe we are long overdue for the "Big One." The last "massive" earthquake to rumble along the infamous fault line was in 1857, "when one struck at an estimated magnitude of 7.9," according to an AP article in the Long Beach Press-Telegram. That means the next major quake is now 15 years behind schedule on the San Andreas; the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, whose 15-year-anniversary was last weekend, was a magnitude 6.7, however it was mainly centered on the Northridge (sometimes called Pico) Thrust, not the San Andreas. Several recent small earthquakes are serving as a reminder that here in Southern California we've built our cities on Mother Nature's turf, and the "Big One" could hit us at any moment--one very "Big" reason to focus on preparedness and safety.

