Quake safety important in Los Angeles to preserve quality of life

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A seminar on earthquake readiness was held Wednesday to help residents prepare for disastrous shakes in the Los Angeles area.

When the ground starts shaking, everyone is going to feel it, but as experts prepare residents and their pets for a major earthquake, the focus is not so much life or death, but the quality of life when things settle down.

Buildings in Southern California will probably still be standing, but that doesn't mean they will be livable.

One of the biggest concerns among experts if a major earthquake hits is L.A.'s water supply as it is considered old and weak.

"In 1994, the Northridge earthquake, a magnitude 6.7 with the epicenter right underneath the San Fernando Valley, had over a thousand pipes that we had to repair and that's just the ones in the city," said Craig Davis from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

A major quake along the San Andreas Fault would do more damage than the Northridge quake, and as we have seen time and again in the city of L.A., the water system is already at the breaking point.

"We are investing, under their encouragement, to develop a seismic resilient pipe network," said Davis, "And that's placing strategic pipes that are resistant to earthquake damage in strategic locations so that we can get water to the people in the future when they need it."

Experts said a major earthquake in Southern California may not kill you, but it could make living in the city miserable for unprepared residents in Los Angeles.