Residents of San Francisco are typically well aware of the potential threat posed by an earthquake, with small events being fairly common in and around the city. While there is no indication a major event should be expected soon, researchers are still working to determine the potential effects, should something like a repeat of the 1906 earthquake which devastated the city, according to the SF Chronicle. “It may be that the whole system is on edge and ready for a more active cycle. The whole system is loading, and we don’t know how it’s going to unload. It hasn’t been dumping stress on the faults we know carry the most slip,” says Glenn Biasi, supervisory geophysicist with the USGS and co-author of a recent report, of the fault line.
In the event of a major quake, estimates for the death toll range from around 200 to 7,800, based on models developed by FEMA. These modeled estimates may be on the low side, as Michael Bishop, a FEMA risk analyst, notes the data used by the model is from the 2010 census, and structures will not be compromised by the quake or aftershocks.
However, it is the aftermath of the quake that poses the greatest risk, observed Bijan Karimi, acting deputy director of the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, who recommends residents keep enough supplies on hand to last at least 72 hours, due to potential disruptions in power and water.“There’s only so many emergency responders to go around. We really want to have individuals relying on themselves and their neighbors,” Karimi told the SF Chronicle.
