When California DOES eventually have the BIG earthquake as predicted, how will that affect the rest of the US?

Question

Everyone knows the BIG earthquake has yet to happen and noone knows exactly when. Experts all say that it WILL happen eventually. Suppose it happens in one or two months: how will that affect the United States economy? the hospital industry, first aid and the blood supply? Suppose 1/4 of California suffers huge tragedies from this and 1,000,000+ are killed or hurt....what will the affect be on the rest of the United States? What countries (if any) will offer assistance to the United States in repair work, financial, and first aid assistance?

Answer 1

I (for one) hope the U.S. Government responds better than they did to Hurricane Katrina!

Answer 2

Want to worry?  If the Hayward fault goes in the SF area, it will be THE Big One.  Estimated 200,000 people made homeless in a matter of minutes.  USGS put out a pamphlet on the anniversary of the '06 quake that said "don't plan on government to be a big help".  Your house is gone, your mortgage is not.  Your job probably also gone.  One huge mess and I haven't heard any government agency say how they plan to deal with it.  Katrina was not a good example, neither was the So. Cal fires.

Answer 3

FAQ - Common Myths about Earthquakes

Q: Why are we having so many earthquakes? Has earthquake activity been increasing? Does this mean a big one is going to hit? OR We haven't had any earthquakes in a long time; does this mean that the pressure is building up?

A: A partial explanation may lie in the fact that in the last twenty years, we have definitely had an increase in the number of earthquakes we have been able to locate each year. This is because of the tremendous increase in the number of seismograph stations in the world and the many improvements in global communications.

According to long-term records (since about 1900), we expect about 18 major earthquakes (7.0 - 7.9) and one great earthquake (8.0 or above) in any given year. However, let's take a look at what has happened in the past 32 years, from 1969 through 2001, so far. Our records show that 1992, and 1995-1997 were the only years that we have reached or exceeded the long-term average number of major earthquakes since 1971. In 1970 and in 1971 we had 20 and 19 major earthquakes, respectively, but in other years the total was in many cases well below the 18 per year which we may expect based on the long-term average.

Q: Will California eventually fall off into the ocean?

A: No. The San Andreas Fault System, which crosses California from the Salton Sea in the south to Cape Mendocino in the north, is the boundary between the Pacific Plate and North American Plate. The Pacific Plate is moving northwest with respect to the North American Plate at approximately 46 millimeters per year (the rate your fingernails grow). The strike-slip earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault are a result of this plate motion. The plates are moving horizontally past one another, so California is not going to fall into the ocean. However, Los Angeles and San Francisco will one day be adjacent to one another!

Answer 4

As with any mega-tradgedy life will go on. But the ramifications are imponderable.  Cal. has a greater population than all of Canada. It has a greater economy than most nations in the world. It supplies more food than any other State in the Union. It is a major, major importer of goods.  Would the rest of the world offer assistance.  You bet they would.  But, and this is a really big "but"  the good old USA would never be the same. So, it's better not to even THINK about it or dwell on it. It's simply too inconcievable.  And I disagree with you. There is no one that can predict a "BIG ONE" is inevitable.