Is California Ready For The Big One?

"So how effectively have the planners planned? The verdict is mixed. Following the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which killed 57 people in the Los Angeles region, California's hospitals were required by law to retrofit their buildings by 2008 to withstand major tremors; yet some 78% of them have at least one building still at risk and many are getting an extended deadline of 2013. Similarly, some 7,500 school buildings built before 1978 have yet to be brought up to standard.

On the other hand, a lot has been done, especially in earthquake-proofing the freeway network. The Southern California Gas Company claims its system, which it has been upgrading for several years, can withstand strong tremors; the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power says it could double its groundwater pumping if pipeline supplies were disrupted."