EARTHQUAKE
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- acee0
ABOUT DAMN TIME ANOTHER COMES AROUND!
- _salisae_0
LOS ANGELES—Here in the glamour capital of the world, people are used to high-profile, earth-shattering events. But according to top insiders, publicists and seismologists, the long-awaited Los Angeles earthquake, due to arrive soon after decades of delays, is going to be the biggest thing to hit town in a long, long time.
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A billboard on Ventura Boulevard hypes the upcoming natural disaster.
"The pressure is on, and when this thing hits the streets, it's gonna turn this town upside down," Daily Variety's Marvin Demofsky said. "People have been waiting for it for years, and when those tectonic plates finally get ready to move on this, it's going to generate a lot of buzz. Believe the hype: This one is going to blow you away."
"Get ready to rumble, L.A.!" said popular gossip columnist Rita Jaynes of The Hollywood Reporter. "This thing is gonna tear the roof off box offices all across town!"
Though the groundswell of anticipation for the earthquake has been building for ages, the recent discovery of a series of highly unstable "blind thrust" faults directly beneath downtown L.A. has caused the hype to reach a fever pitch. So-called "slip-strike" faults, such as the famed San Andreas Fault, move horizontally, with the land masses sliding past each other. But thrust faults, like the newly discovered Hollywood Fault and Elysian Park Fault--on which Dodger Stadium stands--are much more destructive because they move diagonally and even vertically, "thrusting" masses of earth up and down and folding enormous sections underneath the surface itself.
"This quake should pull in big, big numbers on the Richter Scale. Not only is the potential for long-term impact large, but the opening weekend is almost certainly going to be a record-setter for casualties. I mean, this is going to open huge," said Dr. John Shaw, a Harvard structural geologist who last May helped discover the Puente Hills Fault, the largest of these hidden thrust faults, beneath L.A.'s most populated areas. "This is the sort of groundbreaking event that can really shatter expectations and shake up the industry."
The earthquake, which publicists are hyping as "a major motion event," is expected not only to strike it big with the coveted 18-to-34 demographic, but also prove just as powerful with all other age groups, as well.
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Paramount Pictures executives screen preview footage of the upcoming L.A. earthquake.
"This one is going to reach everyone: kids, young professionals, the over-50 crowd," publicist Shayna Glickman said. "We're talking record-breaking numbers of whites, blacks, Hispanics; you name 'em, they're going to be in on this quake."
- mg330
I'm gonna fly out there RIGHT NOW.
- _salisae_0
http://www.sciencedaily.com/rele…
The scenario outlines a hypothetical earthquake in which:
The strongest shaking and greatest damage is near the stretch of the San Andreas Fault that extends through the fastest growing areas of Southern California, including the Coachella Valley, Inland Empire and Antelope Valley.
At least 10 million people will be exposed to heavy shaking. California's efforts at mitigation have concentrated on life safety and have been largely successful. Thus, in spite of the large numbers of people in highly shaken areas, deaths are estimated at only 1,800.
Building types known to be vulnerable to damage and collapse, do indeed sustain major damage. All un-reinforced masonry buildings within 15 miles of the San Andreas Fault are completely destroyed. Those that are not retrofitted kill many occupants. Many other older building types without retrofitting contribute to over $33 billion in damage to buildings.
The fault offsets all lifelines crossing into Southern California at Cajon Pass (Interstate 15), San Gorgonio Pass (Interstate 10) and along Route 14, including pipelines, power lines, roads, railways, telecommunications and aqueducts.
Strong shaking continues in downtown Los Angeles for 55 seconds
- nearly 8 times longer than in the Northridge Earthquake
The prolonged, strong shaking heavily damages and sometimes collapses hundreds of old brick buildings, thousands of older commercial and industrial concrete buildings, many wood-frame buildings, and even a few, high-rise steel buildings. Over 600,000 buildings suffer at least some damage that causes tens of thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths, and leaves many thousands of people without homes or jobs.
Fire doubles the fatalities and economic losses. Around Southern California, there will be 1,600 fires started large enough to warrant a 911 call, and some fires merge into conflagrations that burn hundreds of city blocks. Assuming no Santa Ana winds, the models still indicate a further $65 billion in direct losses and $22 billion in indirect losses from the fires.
Nearly two thirds of the hospital beds are non-functional in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. At the same time, 50,000 people will seek treatment at emergency rooms.
Thanks to a $6 billion investment in seismic safety, the State highway system fares well. However, although collapse is avoided, some bridges are non-functional so that much of the highway is not passable on the day of the event. The long duration of shaking takes a greater toll on bridges and overpasses under the jurisdiction of cities and counties where the retrofitting processes are not complete or have not begun.
The largest long-term economic disruption comes from damage to the water distribution system. Damage to this system will be so extensive that some areas will have to replace the whole system, and some buildings will be without water for as long as 6 months. The direct and indirect business interruption costs attributed to the lack of water will be $50 billion.
Most of the damage is predictable and much is preventable. Individuals can protect themselves and help their community by:
Storing more water than they already have
Keeping a fire extinguisher and knowing how to use it.
Securing their space. This means securing building contents from flying around and reinforcing a building they own to the most current standards.
- so basically store enough water for a week and you should be fine._salisae_
- MondoMorphic0
According to San Diego's paper...
BREAKING NEWS: Yes, that was an earthquake, reportedly 5.8, 5 miles southeast of Diamond Bar, north of San Diego.
- akrokdesign0
after shock
- digdre0
how many survived?
- JOSF0
- not that kindakrokdesign
- oh that brings back memories of eating the crystals and hoping it wasn't glasssilentseven
- looks pretty, tastes like floor cleaner.JOSF
- the bottle design is as foul as the liquid productmjg
- acee0
yeah this little bump does not compare to what the Northridge quake did.
- invisiblechamber0
lol - anyone saw the guys spazzing into the live vid of collapsed wall on cnn 15 seconds ago?
- ntslide0
weeeeeee! I was in with my boss! Went right to the doorway... With giant panes of glass on either side... I am an idiot...
- mg330
Definitely has something to do with Media Temple being down.
- JasonFarrell0
- worst movie ever.akrokdesign
- i agree. pure shit.cosmoo
- best movie of the centuryutopian1
- Loved that movie.blaw
- hellrod0
Mmmmm. I am rolling in San Diego. Woo hoo!
- mrdobolina0
Hope everyone is OK.
- akoni0
aftershocks are fun!!!
- hey anthony! tis jeffffffthreadpost
- Jeff!! where have you been all mmy life pumpkin?? :)
how you be mang?akoni
- 5timuli0
Beautiful Arizona Bay.
- morilla0
Felt it down here.