Are you scared of "Big One" earthquake? (Los Angeles: real estate, credit card)

[LizzyNola]

Not worried at all!

I have been through every earthquake, and you just have to ride through them!

If you are afraid of quakes then Los Angeles is not the place for you.

My grandmother and aunts lived through the SFO earthquake and then the 1933 earthquake here is Los Angeles.

Again, if you can't hang with the rocking n rolling then Los Angeles/California is not for you~

[FinnishAmerican]

no im not scared.
Its like getting shot, it just happens if it does

[Fontucky]

No. I live 10 miles from the San Andreas, and am not afraid of being injured. The house, well, if it happens it happens. The 2 acres under me is worth more than the house.

[LASam]

Am I scared of it? Hell yeah! If you aren't... something is wrong with you. Do I think about it on a daily basis? Nope... only really think about it after we have smaller quakes.

[gypsystar]

I do worry about the "big one" quite often. I try not to dwell on it or I will pack up and leave! I have stocked up on water and food, but I definitely don't feel prepared.

[lesallimc]

Yes, I do think about it often. We haven't had a "big one" in 150 years, so there really is no comparison to the quakes we have had since then...

[MrQuincy]

I think in general...if you're the type of person who lets fear keep you from doing the things you love... LA in general might not be a good bet. There are a lot of things to be afraid of, but a lot more things to enjoy.

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

No. I live 10 miles from the San Andreas, and am not afraid of being injured. The house, well, if it happens it happens. The 2 acres under me is worth more than the house.

Yeah, but you're a renter. Add on the possibility that you might lose $10K up to the total value of your house (minus land value), and it amounts to a serious concern.

I've got a paid off house in Northridge, for whatever it's worth. If we had the big one I could end up owning nothing more valuable than the land, and facing a down market where all the houses are destroyed and everybody else is trying to sell their land too.

I really want to see the "big one" on TV, from 500-1,000 miles away. Not that I want it to happen.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Make sure your house is bolted to your foundation. If there are cripple walls between the concrete and the main framing, add plywood sheer panels and special metal hardware (brackets, straps, etc) in the appropriate places. Secure water heaters and furnaces with appropriate strapping to code. There are contractors who specialize in earthquake proofing if you are not handy and do not understand the principles involved.

Secure TVs and heavy appliances and furniture to wall studs.

Use child proofing on cabinets to prevent doors opening and stuff "walking" out during a shaker.

It's not rocket science, just make a plan and do it!

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

I have always thought it funny that many people believe our buildings sit on floating platforms, rolling foundations, or some other type of thing that allows them to move during an earthquake. When a building is built the structure is made to sway but is firmly attatched to the bedrock below the building. No rollers, no floating parts, no airbags, just bedrock. Think of it this way; during an earthquake tectonic plates are moving against each other. All you need to do to secure the building is to atatch it to one of the plates. It may go for a ride, but it will be traveling with the plate. A problem would occur if you built it on the fault line. Additional faults have been found in the area, and a chance of something greater happening is possible, but not probable. Areas such as Chicago also have fault lines but the zones are inactive, similar to many of our lesser faults. Newer structures can withstand an earthquake of 8.3 on the Richter scale. The San Andres Fault tops out at that point.