USGS Earthquake Hazard Program (EHP): jgodt@usgs.

gov|: 303-273-8626

Subject: The effect of the earthquakes happening at the san andreas fault line

Dear Jonathan Godt,

I am writing this letter to request more information about earthquakes happening on the san
andreas fault line every day. Earthquakes can be very disastrous leading to many different things
such as fires, tsunamis, and landslides. Although what is happening on the san andreas fault line
seems strange and it is a fault that impacts a lot of people. The fault line nearly every day
experiences an average of 3.0 magnitude earthquake. Our goal is to inform, educate on how to
protect yourself, and ensure the safety of the people living in an earthquake prone region. Also,
we help people after large scale earthquakes by providing shelter, food, water, and clothes. When
the san andreas fault line experiences an earthquake, it gives us a lot of information. Over the
many years that the earthquakes have happend we can see that the land is moving in opposite
direction of each other. When the two large pieces of land rub against each other consistently
having a 3.0 magnitude almost every day it can be very unpredictable. When there are nearly
forty million people living in California, communication becomes a big issue. 1) How can we
make sure that everyone can be warned as soon as possible when an earthquake is happening, so
they can seek safety? There is no room for delay in the warning because even a couple minutes
could be the difference between life and death.

I am requesting action to be taken to make changes to the areas near the san andreas fault line.
People need to be able to find shelter close by and it should be mandatory to have personal
shelters in every home. There should also be a loud siren that everyone can hear alerting that an
earthquake is happening. The USGS earthquake hazard program team can educate the public on
how to protect themselves, if people do not want to invest in their safety there is nothing we can
do. There have been multiple major earthquakes on the fault that have averaged a 7.0 magnitude.
In 1906 San Francisco experienced a 7.6 magnitude earthquake and completely destroyed the
entire area. After multiple of these large scale earthquakes houses were built differently to
withstand shaking up to a certain extent. 2) These changes had to be made but what more can we
do to minimalize the damage even more? These changes should be made because no matter
where you are in this world you are sitting on top of tectonic plates that are always moving.
Depending on where you live in this world you are affected in different ways. Some places are
affected by tsunamis, while some places have mountains caused by the fault pushing upward,
and other places experience landslides. 3) Do earthquakes have any coloration with when they
happen or how often? I really appreciate it if you would consider these changes, it would really
help with safety and decreasing damage.

Sincerely,
Shiv Parekh
USGS Earthquake Hazard Program