Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Earthquake Watch: Are we Overdue for 'The Big One'?

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.

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."

"What we know is for the last 700 years, earthquakes on the southern San Andreas fault have been much more frequent than everyone thought," UCI researcher Sinan Akciz said in a statement that was printed in the LA Times. "Data presented here contradict previously published reports."

Some 25 million people reside along the southern portion of fault, which extends between near the Mexico border and runs to Fresno. The Great California ShakeOut emergency preparedness event is on October 21st. In the meantime, its website has useful information to be prepared sooner than then.

At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.

Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.

This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.

That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Chip in now to fund your local journalism

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right