# The Big One is Coming **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004 "2004-04-03T02:25:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/41 "2004-04-05T00:03:17Z")
Are home owners charged an inflated premium on their home insurance? That is, more if you’re in the line of fire, so to speak? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/42 "2004-04-05T03:54:58Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > I’m not sure why you’re taking issue with my addition to **The Scrivener** ’s point about having an exit stratety and meeting point, since all I added was to have practice drills. I never suggested running outside while rumbling was going on and agree completely that evacuation should only occur _when necessary_ and when there’s less chance of danger outdoors than in. That doesn’t mean families shouldn’t do practice drills, which is all I suggested. And this is a perfect example as to why – so everyone knows under what conditions to exit in the first place! Gotcha. I just misread your answer. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/43 "2004-04-05T03:56:18Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > Are home owners charged an inflated premium on their home insurance? That is, more if you’re in the line of fire, so to speak? You’d better believe it. We live in an “orange” zone and can’t get earthquake insurance, period. ---
**Author:** ![Truth\_Seeker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Truth\_Seeker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truth_Seeker)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/44 "2004-04-05T04:28:00Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Running out of the house exposes you to any of the following: crumbling chimney bricks, shattering or already shattered glass, falling or fallen power lines, out of control cars, parked cars moving of their own volition, falling trees, fracturing earth, flying roof shingles…get the picture? This really can’t be emphasized enough. In places like California with modern building codes, very few fatalities occur from the total collapse of a building. Many people, however, get injured or killed when they run outside during an earthquake and part of the building’s facing falls on them. So stay where you are until the shaking stops. Get in a doorway, grab hold and wait it out. Unlike brick houses, the average California wood-frame house will not completely collapse in an earthquake. The average California wood-frame house will not completely collapse if you drive a bulldozer through it. No matter how twisted and torn up it gets, the odds of it actually collapsing and crushing you are pretty slim. The only serious structural danger is a collapsing brick chimney. You can, however, be seriously injured by stuff inside your house. I don’t know if this was already mentioned, but it is an extremely bad idea to have anything heavy, **especially glass** , over your bed. Being woken up by a rain of broken glass is not fun. Unfortunately, this means those mirrors on the ceiling are right out. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/45 "2004-04-05T05:17:27Z")
> [@Truth Seeker](#): > > Get in a doorway, grab hold and wait it out. I’m sorry, but **don’t do this.** This is also potentially very dangerous and not recommended. Doors can and will swing (and swing hard) in an earthquake, resulting in injuries from being knocked over or getting your fingers or hands crushed among other things: [quote] [http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/downloads/1-Earthquakes-PM-Rev2.doc](http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/downloads/1-Earthquakes-PM-Rev2.doc) **Myth:** Use a doorway for protection during an earthquake. **Fact:** While doorways can provide adequate protection during small earthquakes, doorways should not be used for protection because:[ul][li]Not all doorways are built into the physical structure of a building.[/li][li]Many doorways are too large for children or shorter adults to use correctly for protection.[/li][li]Even if they are part of the building’s structure, doorways can provide protection for only one person.[/li][li]Earthquakes with moderate to extreme ground motion can cause a person using a doorway to fall out of the doorway or become injured when attempting to get to the doorway.[/ul][/li][/quote] The best place to be is under a sturdy table (if you can get to one – though not in the kitchen, as that’s where people tend to keep the most “stuff,” which is more likely to fly off of shelves or out of cabinets and hurt you), or a desk, etc. If you have a hallway, it’s safest to simply get on the floor against one of the walls, covering your head and neck with your arms, as hallways are generally the most structurally sound part of a house. If you’re in bed, try to roll off the bed and lay on the floor immediately next to it, where you’re safer in the event that large furniture tips over. Stay away from windows! There are a lot of safety tips that can be found on [the Office of Emergency Services website](http://www.oes.ca.gov/Operational/OESHome.nsf/978596171691962788256b350061870e/A6BE1FB7591A508D88256CD70058FBAB?OpenDocument). **Chefguy** , thanks. Glad we could get that cleared up. FYI, from the above website: > [@](#): > > [Earthquake: Duck, Cover & Hold Drill](http://www.oes.ca.gov/CEPM2003.nsf/htmlmedia/dch_drill.pdf/%24file/dch_drill.pdf) > > **DUCK or DROP down on the floor.** > > No matter where you are, know how to protect yourself and your family during an earthquake. Practice taking cover as if there were an earthquake and learn the safest places in your home and work. Practice getting out of your home and check to see if the planned exits are clear and if they can become blocked in an earthquake. And if you’re not in an earthquake zone, have practice fire drills or, if applicable, tornado drills. Make sure everyone knows how to unlock and open every window and door in the house. And it can’t be stressed enough, have a designated meeting place somewhere clear of the house, so everyone can be accounted for and, if rescue personnel have to be called, they won’t have to risk their lives going inside for someone who escaped out the back and is safe at a neighbor’s or something. ---
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/46 "2004-04-05T07:04:13Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Since the Long Beach quake of 1930-something, building rules have been updated to ensure that buildings are more earthquake-resistant. It seems that nature keeps trumping regulations though. After the Loma Prieta quake, freeway bridges that were thought to be strong enough (under older rules) started to be retrofitted with steel encasements. They were still working on them when the Northridge quake hit. In any case; as we learn more about earthquakes, legislators try to update building rules to make structures safer. I remember after the Loma Prieta, they began to put concrete “bridges” between the legs of the oberpass pillars on overpasses here. Before they were two legs, not they’re more like walls. things here in the Monterey area withstood the quake pretty well, even though the mountain of the epicenter is easily visible anywhere along the bay. Even though my town sits on sand, there wasn’t any liquefaction (But along the beach in moss landing you had little mud geysers happen as the soils there liquefied. Most stunning sight ever was a bridge in Watsonville that literally jumped off of its support pillars, falling onto them, and the pillars sticking out of the road bed. [pillars through the road bed](http://emerald.ucsc.edu/~es10/fieldtripEarthQ/EarthQ6.html) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/47 "2004-04-05T12:48:39Z")
> [@stochastic](#): > > Sounds like we were neighbors at the time, Johnny L.A. I was living right along the Santa Monica Fwy at Palms Ave. Until last November, I lived on Clarington at Palms. First apartment building south of Palms, on the west side of the street. Sometimes I miss The Coop. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/48 "2004-04-05T13:56:39Z")
Well, we had an earthquake last night, right where they said one would happen. Was all of 3.0, and felt by nobody. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/49 "2004-04-05T19:13:32Z")
Quoth **Shayna** : > [@](#): > > The best place to be is under a sturdy table (if you can get to one – though not in the kitchen, as that’s where people tend to keep the most “stuff,” which is more likely to fly off of shelves or out of cabinets and hurt you), or a desk, etc. If you have a hallway, it’s safest to simply get on the floor against one of the walls, covering your head and neck with your arms, as hallways are generally the most structurally sound part of a house. If you’re in bed, try to roll off the bed and lay on the floor immediately next to it, where you’re safer in the event that large furniture tips over. Stay away from windows! I don’t know earthquakes, but where I grew up, we had tornado drills. Many of the hazards and precautions seem to be similar, but I learned that the safest place in the house was underneath the basement stairs. The floor isn’t going to collapse under you, there are few small windows, and the sturdy stairs above you will protect against falling debris. Would this also be sound advice for an earthquake? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/50 "2004-04-05T20:00:06Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Well, we had an earthquake last night, right where they said one would happen. Was all of 3.0, and felt by nobody. 😃 As I always say, if it’s less than 4.5, I don’t want to waste my time with it. 😉 And in a related vein, I always get a little morbid fascination when I hear about “minor” earthquakes doing major damage in non-traditionally-eqarthquake-prone areas. Something about the realization that most Southern California buildings can withstand a quake that levels half of St. Louis gives me a reassuring feeling. ---
**Author:** ![deb2world](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@deb2world](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deb2world)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/51 "2004-04-05T20:29:51Z")
**Chronos** most California homes have no basement. The reason for that is cause of the earthquakes, the earth movement has cracks the walls of a basement. One thing to do in the planning for an emergency is to have a designated out-of-state contact person. Alot of times the local lines are tied up but you can get a long distance line to let your family members know your status. I assume all of us in California have this site bookmarked [http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/latestfault.htm](http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/latestfault.htm) ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/52 "2004-04-05T20:37:14Z")
When I visited a friend in Los Angeles for a couple of weeks, He told me that if an Eathquake happens when sleeping to stay in bed. If I jump up to stand in a doorway a door will knock me senseless and I will most likely get cut up real bad from glass on the floor. ---
**Author:** ![Truth\_Seeker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Truth\_Seeker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truth_Seeker)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/53 "2004-04-05T21:12:52Z")
> [@](#): > > [http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/dow...kes-PM-Rev2.doc](http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/dow...kes-PM-Rev2.doc) > > Myth: Use a doorway for protection during an earthquake. Huh. Learn something new everyday. I’m _still_ right about the mirrors on the ceiling, though. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/54 "2004-04-05T21:39:58Z")
Someone mentioned homeowners insurance and earthquakes. Homeowners insurance policies **do not cover earthquake damage**. The companies could go broke, and they will not risk it. Earthquake coverage may be purchased as a separate policy, usually with an incredibly high deductible and a good-sized premium. We don’t have it, but my MIL does, in case of a total loss. BTW- making small or medium sized claims against any type of homeowners policy is a bad idea IMHO- when I worked for Allstate in CO, if you had any claims against a prior HO policy (especially liability claims), we wouldn’t write you. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_smartypants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6bbea6/32.png) [@miss\_smartypants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_smartypants)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/55 "2004-04-05T22:29:27Z")
I had recently moved from Minnesota to Monterey California when the Loma Prieta quake struck. I was a couple of hours into my afternoon shift in the hospital when everything started shaking. I’m sort of an adventurous person and actually enjoy a little danger, but I can tell you I was just scared to death! I ran out into a center courtyard and was sure the walls were going to fall in on me. It only lasted 15 seconds but it sure seemed a lot longer. When it stopped I went back indoors ready to say something to the effect that I had never dreamed that quakes were _that_ bad, but there was a very old lady in a wheelchair right by the door with a terrified look on her face and she said, “My lands! I’ve _never_ felt anything like that!” So I was relieved to know that it was more than just a run of the mill quake. I lived down the Big Sur Coast in one of the many canyons that rise from the ocean. My home was built up on stilts and the many aftershocks would cause it to sway back and forth way beyond what one would feel if their home were on the ground. After a while I began to enjoy it. But I did remain edgy for weeks as I crossed the many long bridges that span the canyons as I drove to and from work. Here is the quake site I use. [http://aslwww.cr.usgs.gov/Seismic\_Data/telemetry\_data/map\_sta\_eq.shtml](http://aslwww.cr.usgs.gov/Seismic_Data/telemetry_data/map_sta_eq.shtml) (Oh hi Doobieous–it was Palo Colorado Canyon that I lived in) ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/56 "2004-04-05T23:15:14Z")
> [@deb2world](#): > > **Chronos** most California homes have no basement. The reason for that is cause of the earthquakes, the earth movement has cracks the walls of a basement. > > One thing to do in the planning for an emergency is to have a designated out-of-state contact person. Alot of times the local lines are tied up but you can get a long distance line to let your family members know your status. > > I assume all of us in California have this site bookmarked [http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/latestfault.htm](http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/latestfault.htm) Actually, I like the 2-degree map…this is the area of most concern…[34N & 117W](http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsUS/Maps/US2/33.35.-118.-116.html) Currently, I live in Apple Valley (near the top-right part of the capital letter “V” in Victorville on the map) and my house sits on decomposing granite (this is not by accident either…) I used to live in Calimesa which is almost dead center (34N,117.1W) of this map. I was here when the Landers and Big Bear quakes hit in '92 and '94. Two major earthquakes in a span of a couple of hours was pretty harrowing at best…(7.0 and 6.8), but the damage was non existent because our house sat on compressed clay and the house foundation was on shaved out of the hillside and not on fill…(this was not by accident either). Damage to your house is relative to what type of ground your house sits on, and what building codes your house was built by. A Mag. 6 earthquake is on the upper end of a moderate or lower end major earthquake and happens every few years…If you lived in So.California for a number of years, you’ve remembered [other earthquakes of the past.](http://www.data.scec.org/clickmap.html) Although 6.0-6.5 is sizeable, it really is considered “The Big One”. We save that title for something on the 7.5-8.5 range and the San Andreas Fault from Fort Tejon down through Palmdale, Cajon Pass, San Bernardino, Palm Springs to the Salton Sea is where the next “Big One” is predicted to hit within a few decades…I’ll be ready. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/57 "2004-04-06T00:10:27Z")
> [@Yeticus Rex](#): > > Although 6.0-6.5 is sizeable, it really **is** considered “The Big One”. We save that title for something on the 7.5-8.5 range and the San Andreas Fault from Fort Tejon down through Palmdale, Cajon Pass, San Bernardino, Palm Springs to the Salton Sea is where the next “Big One” is predicted to hit within a few decades…I’ll be ready. replace with: **is not** ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/58 "2004-04-06T19:45:42Z")
> [@Yeticus Rex](#): > > Damage to your house is relative to what type of ground your house sits on, and what building codes your house was built by. Very true. My parents’ house is almost on the beach, with no slab, on a peninsula that was dredged up when the harbor was built. The house has stood for over 100 years, but could be subject to a phenomenon called _liquifaction_ (hope I spelled it right). If the correct “big one” hits, the sandy ground could liquify, and all the houses would sink. Yee haw. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/59 "2004-04-17T06:42:26Z")
> [@Triskadecamus](#): > > [10.5](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364146/) out this year, Real Soon Now. May 2 on NBC in the US I saw this post, and heard about the comming quake, and I wondered if anyone else had connected the two. Anyone want to put bets down that the actual quake comes on the Second? Get out your Conspiracy research materials at the ready… ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004/60 "2004-04-17T17:12:38Z")
There has already been a small quake in the desert, so all the wonks are patting themselves on the back. Eh, there are earthquakes here _every day_. A big one? Sure, eventually. But why worry about it, beyond a few plans for food and water in a duffle bag in the garage? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-one-is-coming/238004.md?page=4)