California Primed for the Big One and the State's Not Ready
California should mercifully split off from the rest of the U.S. politically, but the possibility of such a geological reality is no laughing matter.
Although California wouldn’t exactly break off into the ocean, as some hyperbolic predictions suggest, a new study published in Frontiers in Earth Science is warning that the San Andreas Fault is in imminent danger of experiencing a strong earthquake, KABC-TV reported.
Researchers studied the pattern of earth movement and indicators, such as rock stress leading up to the last major earthquake in Monterey County’s Parkfield area in 2004, and found a parallel to what they’re picking up now.
According to the California Earthquake Authority, seismic activity is not surprising, as the Golden State experiences some 100 earthquakes per day without incident.
However, the threat comes from a large quake near a population center, which is a possibility, considering most residents live within 30 miles of one of the 15,700 known faults in the state.
For instance, the San Francisco earthquake on April 18, 1906, was a 7.9 magnitude event that caused more than $400 million in property damage, killed at least 3,000 people, and injured some 225,000 people.
Another memorable quake courtesy of the San Andreas fault happened on October 17, 1989, which interrupted the World Series and killed 63 people.
“Today in 1989, Game 3 of the World Series is postponed due to the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake as millions of stunned viewers watch at home,” a retrospective posted to X, formerly Twitter, said with footage from the game broadcast that day.
Today in 1989, Game 3 of the World Series is postponed due to the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake as millions of stunned viewers watch at home. pic.twitter.com/4eEgBqJMDL
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) October 17, 2023
In the face of such danger, there’s no shortage of personal preparedness resources for Californians, including tips from utility provider Pacific Gas & Electric Company.
The state has also allocated $3 billion to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services in its 2024-2025 budget and added personnel to the agency.
Residents can download an app that warns them of earthquakes so they will be able to “drop, cover, and hold on” through the rumbling as the ground shifts beneath them.
Still, California is notoriously wasteful when it comes to taxpayer dollars, while the dreaded Big One could be just around the corner.
Recently, California’s reparations task force proposed giving each black resident $1.2 million from the state coffers to make up for racial injustices.
The state has also continued to push for a high-speed rail that would bring riders from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under three hours. But that pipe dream, first approved by voters in 2008, is taking decades to complete and the cost has already ballooned to an estimated $128 billion, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, the state is facing a $68 billion shortfall in its budget, in part due to waste and a shrinking tax base, thanks to the policies of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Because earthquakes are so devastating to a geographic area, citizens in California will find themselves at the tender mercies of their government in the aftermath, even if they do their best to plan.
Victims will have to rely on the same hypocritical officials who imposed useless and draconian COVID-19 rules if an actual crisis occurs.
These people are not ready to be in charge, and they’ve proven that they are not a reliable lifeline in the event of a cataclysmic event, as they can’t even manage ongoing problems like crime and homelessness.
Republicans dream of a political split from these irresponsible and insane politicians in California, but a geological fissure could give them more power than ever — and that’s frightening.
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