Just a suggestion but why don't you as the CEA to do some preparedness advertising? Or the California Insurance commissioner? They might even have the bucks to do it!

Back to USGS: The USGS is SCIENCE - not handholding - They can tell you where the problems are - its up to the community to get prepared - if you choose to live on a fault - better have food and water and camping gear too. Besides, they have done some very good things towards preparedness - at least here in Southern Cal - we're always seeing the news, or someone giving away or talking about "Putting down roots in earthquake country" (see link below) - Heck - my neighbor at the office is a Farmers Insurance guy and he gave me a copy of the booklet.

I think the biggest problem with preparedness is that people are like Ostriches - they have their heads in the sand - they either don't believe it will happen to them or they just don't want to know about it. Or they can't afford to stash food and supplies. Or they think God and Country will come to their rescue when it happens. Take a survey - how many people do you know HAVEN'T been told to preapre for a quake? Yet how many are prepared? How do you hit folks upside the head and get them to take it as a daily routine to make sure they have first aid, food, water and keep it all rotated and fresh? Supplies at home, at work, in their cars? More people did the Y2K thing than have been prepared for quakes.

The USGS is interested in research on predictions. Here is one of their questions they are asking: Is our science directed toward understanding earth and life systems so we can model them and make projections into the future?

And they are concentrating here (top of the list):mitigating the impacts of earthquakes through better maps of potential ground shaking and through rapid notification of the onset of earthquakes;

In Budget highlights: The USGS proposes to enhance its ability to provide advance warning of impending natural disasters, enabling communities to save lives and property. From the study of earthquakes in Alaska and the Pacific West, to floods in high-risk areas around the Nation, USGS efforts will help create stronger and safer communities.
A $2.6 million increase will expand and modernize our earthquake monitoring in urban areas in the United States. This request will install or upgrade a total of 150 regional/urban seismic stations as is proposed in the plans developed for the USGS Real Time Hazards Initiative and for the Advanced National Seismic System.

Sorry to go on for so long but I don't think its the USGS responsibility to tell the communities to prepare - Talk to the State, the governor, the insurance commissioner, the mayor...

Canie

• Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country