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I remember the 1989 Loma Prieta quake in California. It was not chaotic. The TV news was still on, emergency services were doing their jobs, the tap water never

I remember the 1989 Loma Prieta quake in California. It was not chaotic. The TV news was still on, emergency services were doing their jobs, the tap water never stopped working, the power was back on the next morning, and there was not much if any of looting or similar crimes. Fewer than 100 people died, in an area with a population of more than 6 million people at the time. It's also worth noting that a magnitude 8 earthquake in one part of California will have little effect in other parts. It's a pretty big place. LA could be totally destroyed and we would barely feel it here in San Jose. I don't take your prediction of "complete chaos" very seriously.

nostrademons 8y ago
To be fair, Loma Prieta was only a 6.9 on the Richter scale. A magnitude 8.0 quake would be > 10x stronger, slightly bigger than the 1906 SF earthquake. I think you're right that the effect on California would be pretty ho-hum, though. California prepares for earthquakes; most of the building codes are designed for > magnitude 8 quakes, major companies headquartered here have earthquake drills to maintain continuity of business, schools teach kids what to do in an earthquake, and I'd bet that first responders and hospitals all drill for what to do. The electricity & Internet would likely go down, because PG&E and Comcast seemingly can't keep them running even in the absence of natural disasters. And transportation would be a problem - even the mudslides last winter managed to take out all the roads over the mountain and large sections of highway 1. But I don't think you'd see large-scale chaos or civil disorder, at least in Northern California. No idea whether you'd see the same in SoCal; aside from them expecting a larger quake, sooner, than the Bay Area, they haven't had one since before urbanization. I suspect their building codes are the same, though, so unless it's Santa Ana wind season they'll probably do okay.
- rwh86 8y ago
  s/Richter scale/moment magnitude scale/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_magnitude_scale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_magnitude_scale
DrScump 8y ago
It was not chaotic Really? Were you anywhere near the epicenter? My youngest sister lived barely a mile from it. Highway 17, the main link between silicon valley and the coast, was closed for two months. The Bay Bridge was closed for a month. Over 40 buildings in downtown Santa Cruz demolished. 42 dead in the Cypress Structure alone (and my oldest sister just missed being #43)... which was two counties away from the epicenter.
- twblalock 8y ago
  The shaking was worse in Oakland and SF than it was in places closer to the epicenter, like San Jose.
  - DrScump 8y ago
    San Jose wasn't close to the epicenter (Nisene Marks), either. There's an entire coastal mountain range between the epicenter and San Jose, even.

nostrademons 8y ago

To be fair, Loma Prieta was only a 6.9 on the Richter scale. A magnitude 8.0 quake would be > 10x stronger, slightly bigger than the 1906 SF earthquake. I think you're right that the effect on California would be pretty ho-hum, though. California prepares for earthquakes; most of the building codes are designed for > magnitude 8 quakes, major companies headquartered here have earthquake drills to maintain continuity of business, schools teach kids what to do in an earthquake, and I'd bet that first responders and hospitals all drill for what to do. The electricity & Internet would likely go down, because PG&E and Comcast seemingly can't keep them running even in the absence of natural disasters. And transportation would be a problem - even the mudslides last winter managed to take out all the roads over the mountain and large sections of highway 1. But I don't think you'd see large-scale chaos or civil disorder, at least in Northern California. No idea whether you'd see the same in SoCal; aside from them expecting a larger quake, sooner, than the Bay Area, they haven't had one since before urbanization. I suspect their building codes are the same, though, so unless it's Santa Ana wind season they'll probably do okay.

rwh86 8y ago
s/Richter scale/moment magnitude scale/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_magnitude_scale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_magnitude_scale

DrScump 8y ago

It was not chaotic Really? Were you anywhere near the epicenter? My youngest sister lived barely a mile from it. Highway 17, the main link between silicon valley and the coast, was closed for two months. The Bay Bridge was closed for a month. Over 40 buildings in downtown Santa Cruz demolished. 42 dead in the Cypress Structure alone (and my oldest sister just missed being #43)... which was two counties away from the epicenter.

twblalock 8y ago
The shaking was worse in Oakland and SF than it was in places closer to the epicenter, like San Jose.
- DrScump 8y ago
  San Jose wasn't close to the epicenter (Nisene Marks), either. There's an entire coastal mountain range between the epicenter and San Jose, even.