They say there is going to be a 7.9 to 8.1 earthquake in southern california in the next decade?

Question

how much damage will this earthquake cause? Will it kill people? If it would kill people about how many do you think it will kill? I AM SCARED!

Answer 1

First we really don't know if there will be an earthquake that big in the next decade.  If there is, then it really depends on a few things such as where the epicenter is.  If it is close to LA, it might cause a lot of damage.  Chances are some people might get killed panicking but since our building codes are so good, relatively few people will die, probably.

Answer 2

i don't think it will be that big be it will be bigger than the one we had 2 days ago i heard on the news that its scheduled arounf November 13 and will be around the san andreas fault

Answer 3

Whether a 7.9+ earthquake will kill, or do significant damage depends on where the epicenter is.  

If it's centered in Death Valley, I'm guessing damage would be light and casualties would be few.  However, if it's centered in a suburban area, yes, there will be damage. (this last one knocked things off shelves in stores, technically, that constitutes damage).  Probably there will be deaths.  I strongly suspect the death count will be significantly lower than the recent China earthquake.  California has a very different infrastructure.  

Best thing to keep from being scared, is to be prepared.  Look around where you live, work, and/or go to school.  What would you do, where would you go?  Do you or your family have emergency supplies in an easily accessable area?  Knowing you've done everything you can to be prepared helps eliminate the fear.

Answer 4

They have been predicting this for 50 years. Because So Cal is so used to earthquakes, and built to withstand them, my best estimate is less than a thousand would be killed, depending on what time the quake hits. Being scared serves no purpose, be prepared.

Answer 5

there have been detailed reports on this subject.  google southern california earthquake damage 8.0   and go from there.  

from the reports i have read an earthquake of that magnitude is projected on the san andreas fault. which goes from roughly palmdale thru san bernardino and on to the salton sea,  the whole area,all of it, would be involved in an 8.0 quake.  it would not kill many people.  it would cause disruption of all services for a long time.  

this earthquake probably will happen.  when, who knows.  you can actually google 'earthquake prediction southern california san andreas fault' or combinations of that and discover lots of info.  

i dont worry at all !!!  about being killed in a big quake.  i am very concerned about damage to infrastructure and what that would do to the quality of life in the area.  

i dont know if you were afffected by this quake but i was "5 miles"  ( so they say)  from the epicenter and i can tell you the motion was very similar to the whittier quake in 87.  it was also the sharpest and most violent upheaval i have ever experienced in a quake.  if that was a 5.4 i really really dont want to know what an 8.0 feels like.