Who in Los Angeles is Most Prepared For a Major Earthquake?

A big earthquake could bring even worse traffic, internet outages, and water shortages to Los Angeles, but how ready are Angelenos individually to handle a 'quake? An exit poll conducted by the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University (during last November's election) asked Angelenos how prepared they are for a tremor—while it did only take into account how prepared people think they are, the answers suggest that people are either accurate judges of their unpreparedness or at least very critical of their readiness. Fifty-six percent of respondents admitted they were only "somewhat" equipped for a 'quake, and 24.9 percent said they were flat out unprepared. Only 19.1 percent said they were ready to withstand a tremor, which seems high but not implausible.

The groups with the highest rates of belief in their earthquake preparedness include Conservatives (33 percent), Protestants (24 percent), Asians (32 percent), members of the military/veterans (35.8 percent), people who have lived in LA for 11 to 14 years (44.9 percent), and gay people (32.5 percent). But generally there's a lot of unpreparedness/semi-preparedness across the board and relatively even feelings of preparedness across incomes, education levels, martial status, renters/owners, etc.

Meanwhile, the city of LA is working to get its buildings and infrastructure prepared for a big 'quake; the LA City Council voted to move ahead yesterday with Mayor Eric Garcetti's retrofit plans to get potentially dangerous buildings—so many of them residential—ready to withstand a good shake. Homeowners can also get help from a new program launching today to help them get cash for the pricey retrofits. If everyone can just hoard enough food and water to sustain everyone in their household for three to seven days and run a couple "Drop, Cover, Hold On" drills, next year's survey results might be significantly more positive.
· Four Terrifying Scenarios to Expect After the Big One Hits [Curbed LA]
· Here's LA's Ambitious Plan For Surviving After a Big Earthquake [Curbed LA]