San Francisco prepares for next major earthquake

Insight

The recent earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan occurred on the boundaries of the Ring of Fire — a horse-shoe shaped string of more than 450 volcanoes along the Pacific coastlines of four continents.

The city of San Francisco lies on this boundary with two other major fault lines — the Hayward and San Andreas — nearby.

CCTV America’s Mark Niu has more on the city’s preparations for the next big one.

In 1906, 80 percent of San Francisco was destroyed in a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. In 1989, 63 people died from a quake measuring 6.9.

Since the last major quake in the late 1980’s, public officials have pushed for programs to protect the city from future devastation. Programs and contractors are working to secure buildings and residences throughout the city.


Andrew Michael discusses earthquake preparedness and natural disasters

To discuss earthquake preparedness and how governments around the world work to prevent major disasters, Mike Walter spoke with Andrew Michael, a seismologist from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Science Center.


One More Question for Ross Stein, Co-Founder & CEO, Temblor and Scientist Emeritus at the U.S. Geological Survey
Mark Niu asked: “Is the recent spate of earthquakes connected?”