"SAN FRANCISCO -- California will experience unthinkable damage when the next powerful quake strikes, probably within 30 years, even though the state prides itself on being on the leading edge of earthquake science.
Modern skyscrapers built to the state's now-rigorous building codes might ride out the big jolt that experts say is all but inevitable, but the surviving buildings will tower over a carpet of rubble from older structures that have collapsed.
Hot desert winds could fan fires that quakes inevitably cause, overwhelming fire departments, even as ancient water pipelines burst, engineers and architects say.
Part of the lesson from the disaster that hit Japan on Friday is that no amount of preparation can fully protect a region such as California that sits on top of fault lines."
Peter Henderson reports for Reuters March 15, 2011.
SEE ALSO:
"Japan-Style Earthquake And Tsunami Unlikely To Hit Southern California, Experts Say" (Los Angeles Times)
"US Overdue For Huge Pacific Quake: Experts" (AFP)
"Is California Next In Line For Big Quake?" (California Watch)
"Quake-Prone California Questions Nuclear Safety" (Reuters)
Opinion: "Japanese Earthquake Prompts Questions about California's Nuclear Power Plants" (Sherman Oaks Patch)
"California 'Concerned' But Ready In Case Of Big Quake" (AFP)
