Experts define “The Big One” as an earthquake that has at least a category 7.8 magnitude strength, which occurs on the southern side of the San Andreas Fault. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Los Angeles has a 31% chance of experiencing “The Big One” in the next 30 years, and the degree to which such a large quake will be catastrophic, cannot be understated. It will likely be terrifyingly severe! As such, we thought it would be interesting to describe in some detail the aftermath of a large earthquake step in this blog.
Are you prepared for a large earthquake?
As a frequent reader of our blogs, you may have already seen the recent data which suggests that the earthquakes we experienced here in the Los Angeles region literally triple the likelihood of a large tremor happening on our nearby San Andreas Fault. The thing is, the Los Angeles region typically experiences a huge earthquake every 100 years, and we are long overdue for what everyone is calling, “The Big One”.
So, our clients and friends keep asking us, what will happen when “The Big One” hits? Well, according to the California Earthquake Authority which predicts such a quake, this is how our lives will be impacted when the Big One happens:
- As you’re sitting in your office chair on a typical midweek afternoon, the first thing that will hit you is a sound wave that is below your hearing range. It will not be enough to move a pen on your desk, but it will make you feel slightly ill.
- As more quake energy is released, the second wave that hits will feel like incredibly loud tossing and shaking, the kind you can’t outrun. If you are lucky, you will drop, cover, and hold on to something under your desk. If you try to run outside, you will likely be thrown to the ground, twist an ankle, break a leg, or be hit from falling masonry or glass. Stay inside, under your desk, and hold on!
- After 60 seconds of intense shaking, you may be able to crawl out from under your desk and run outside. You will be met with air that is thick with dust. Security alarms will wail loudly and you will see broken gas, sewage, and water lines mixing – you may even see burning water! But wait, the shaking will undoubtedly start again very soon in the form of multiple strong aftershocks and you will need to take shelter again, and again.
- You and 10 million other Southern Californians will try to call or text friends and loved ones. In all likelihood, none will be successful, as phone, internet, and power, will all be out. The airports will close, as will most shops, gas stations, and public buildings. This means no trains will be running. No street lights will be on. Very few cars will be moving. In all likelihood, thousands of shocked (and many wounded) survivors will be milling about, wondering what their next steps should be. As the Big One hit when you were in your office, you will only get home after walking for miles in a nightmare landscape.
- If you are lucky enough to get home that day, and if your vulnerable home was not professionally retrofitted and strengthened against earthquakes, you will likely see your house’s windows shattered, its walls cracked, the roof in ruins, and debris all around. Your home may even literally have slid off of its foundation, and everything in it, has crashed to the floor.
- As hours turn into days, and if you did not prepare for the Big One ahead of time, you and others around you may quickly run out of clean water. If the quake happens in the Summer, you will be hot. If the quake happens in Winter, you will be cold. Unless you have a portable generator, you will not be able to charge your phone, have a light to read by, or any heat to cook your food. Those first days and nights will be terrifying, and even if you need professional help, it may not find its way to you or your family.
So, that’s probably the way “The Big One” will play out in those first hours and days: “The Big One” doesn’t care whether or not you are ready for it.
Is retrofitting worth it?
Folks, “The Big One” is coming at you from the San Andreas fault — only 35 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Take the sound advice of the LA Times, which recently cautioned that “A $4,000 retrofit job now could head off a $400,000 repair job after the earthquake”!
Although you may not know when “The Big One” will hit, there are concrete steps you can take today, to help protect your property and your loved ones:
- Prepare an earthquake emergency supply kit and place it in an area where it is easy to grab during an emergency.
- Create an emergency game-plan for you and your loved ones, designating a central meeting point for everyone to gather once the emergency has passed.
- Hire earthquake retrofitting experts now, to evaluate how to best strengthen and protect your home from a catastrophic structural failure that will threaten life and property.
The specialists at Weinstein Construction are experts at earthquake retrofitting and can help Los Angeles homeowners with all their earthquake retrofitting Los Angeles needs! We are also the region’s best House Leveling, French drainage installation, basement waterproofing, and Foundation Cracks Repair specialists! Call Weinstein Construction today at (888) 412-8363 to schedule a no obligation, free inspection and estimate. Be prepared and have peace of mind when the next “Big One” hits!
