Produced by Jeannie Howse and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net * * * * * +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | | | In this document, _italics_ are represented as underscores, | | =bold text= is marked with equals signs, and bullets are | | represented as » | | | | One of the tables in this document is very wide (80 characters) | | | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ * * * * * AN ASSESSMENT OF THE CONSEQUENCES AND PREPARATIONS FOR A CATASTROPHIC CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE: FINDINGS AND ACTIONS TAKEN PREPARED BY FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FROM ANALYSES CARRIED OUT BY THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL ad hoc COMMITTEE ON ASSESSMENT OF CONSEQUENCES AND PREPARATIONS FOR A MAJOR CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE [Illustration: fema symbol federal emergency management agency] Washington, D.C. 20472 November 1980 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER: I. Executive Summary of Findings, Issues, and Actions 1 II. Geologic Earthquake Scenarios 15 III. Assessment of Losses for Selected Potential California Earthquakes 21 IV. An Assessment of the Current State of Readiness Capability of Federal, State, and Local Governments for Earthquake Response 27 V. An Assessment of the Social Impacts 35 ANNEX: 1. Copies of Correspondence Between President Carter and Governor Brown 37 2. Current California and Federal Earthquake Response Planning 43 3. California Assembly Bill No. 2202 53 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 57 CHAPTER I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, ISSUES, AND ACTIONS A. BACKGROUND After viewing the destruction wrought by the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in Washington State in May 1980, President Carter became concerned about the impacts of a similar event of low probability but high damage potential, namely a catastrophic earthquake in California, and the state of readiness to cope with the impacts of such an event.