Large earthquakes cause enormous amounts of damage.
Located near the notorious San Andreas fault line, Los Angeles is famously susceptible to major earthquakes. Other, recently discovered faults in the area -- including the Pico Thrust fault that caused the 1994 Northridge earthquake -- have led seismologists to believe that the area is more dangerous than previously feared. However, the research conducted into such phenomena have allowed building planners and legislators in the city to ensure its citizens are as protected as possible from disasters. Does this Spark an idea?
Damage to Infrastructure and Direct Fatalities
The initial effect of an earthquake in such a populated and built up area as Los Angeles would be widespread building collapse and destruction of infrastructure. The Northridge earthquake that struck in 1994 caused the Antelope Valley Freeway to collapse onto the Golden State Freeway below it. Landslides occurred in the Santa Susana, Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountain areas causing huge damage to homes and water supplies. Structures on the grounds of California State University, just over two miles from the epicentre, also collapsed. A total of 57 people were killed in the earthquake, which also left 9,000 injured. The Northridge earthquake occurred at 4:30am; an earthquake occurring at rush hour would have even more tragic consequences.
Indirect Fatalities
Such a traumatic event would undoubtedly cause indirect fatalities. For example, the shock of the 1994 earthquake in Northridge was blamed for many deaths as a result of cardiac arrest. The New England Journal of Medicine conducted a study based on the aftermath of the Northridge quake and discovered a sharp increase in sudden deaths from cardiac causes. After a six day period following the earthquake, the level of fatalities from cardiac arrest returned to normal.
Disease
The climate of California, and Los Angeles specifically, is not conducive to the liquefaction of soil and the subsequent ground subsidence and widespread flooding that this causes. Because of this, the waterborne diseases that occur in tropical areas following an earthquake of this magnitude do not occur. However, an earthquake in Los Angeles would cause a sharp increase in Valley Fever -- or coccidioidomycosis -- which is caused by the release of large clouds of acrid dust into the atmosphere. This disease is treatable with fungicidal medicines, but can be fatal.
Change in Building Codes
A large-magnitude earthquake in Los Angeles would certainly result in a review of the building codes of at risk areas of California. With each high-level earthquake event, our understanding of the dangers and possible preventative measures grows, and this would be reflected in changes in building codes and legislation. Other legislation would also be introduced to protect the victims of earthquake damage. Following the Northridge earthquake, new legislation was pushed through to protect inhabitants of California from corrupt or manipulative insurers who were exploiting people effected by the disaster.
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