Don,
I would add to the idea of educating and preparing better for a quake with a program beginning in elementary school of teaching that the earth is always changing and that quakes are a natural part of the process. All my classes got a very simplified look at quakes and geologic processes. They loved it and when a quake did occur, they had an understanding of what had happened and what to do about it safety wise. As they progressed to junior high and high school, they were often the only ones who knew what was happening, how it would progress and what to do to protect themselves and the others in the class. I even had a principal thank me as he felt the student had made a big difference in the handling of the situation at school and in the room.
Bob in Woodland Hills