California lawmakers face daunting task in preparing for devastating earthquakes
The “Big One” may be inevitable, but California lawmakers face a major undertaking in preparing for future earthquakes which cannot be predicted. In a joint state Senate and Assembly hearing on preparing for catastrophic earthquakes, in light of the Turkey and Syria disasters, experts told state leaders that bigger plans to prepare for a disaster are needed beyond small programs. … The state must also consider how vulnerable its massive and complicated water infrastructure is to earthquakes. Many levee systems are in dire need of upgrades to survive floods, let alone a major quake. [Evan Reis of the U.S. Resiliency Council] said the water grid is highly vulnerable because the pipes that transport water between regions travel a long distance and often cross fault lines.