Hi John,

Every year we have a budget for fault monitoring and the cost for these projects is significant, thus I often wonder what is the long term objective from these monitoring projects?

As it seems there is no earthquake prediction method that works all of the time, or significantly better than random chance, is the goal in monitoring an attempt to lead us to the point where prediction may become possible, or it simply to observe the movements of the Earth?

If we were able to predict earthquakes, in your opinion, is this something that should be achieved? Perhaps it is not a necessary objective as the problems which may result may be greater than just teaching people how to live safely in earthquake country?

While I fully support a budget to allow scientific research, I would like to see an equal budget for education. Because if people do not learn how to prepare their homes and themselves for the eventuality of a large earthquake, even if they were told a quake was coming, they would have no way to understand how to live through it.

Fortunately, there are some efforts underway now to work toward this education, though I have some concerns it may be a little late in arriving. To me it seems as though we are out of balance. On one hand we as a public are being advised that at some future date a large earthquake will arrive, the preparedness in the physical and mental state has not occurred yet. Thus people are not ready.

If one could imagine reading a newspaper and in one column a story appears about a fault which is of concern. Next to this article is another, which delivers preparedness information, thus they would be in balance. But this does not occur. I feel as though people are floudering in not knowing, not being reminded and they are not where they think about it often enough to become prepared, even on a mental level.

So while I want to see the revenue there to pay your salary, I'd like to see some additional money for preparedness education and if prediction becomes a reality in the distant future, perhaps people will be ready.

What do you think?

Petra