There has been recent justified concern about the earthquake safety of the San Onofre nuclear site. The tidal wave risk looks already treated, since the site is guarded by a thirty foot beach and seawall height. Nevertheless, the whole failure mode should be reexamined, as well as a more complete seismic survey done before its licenses are considered for extension. Clearly, lessons learned from the Fukushima catastrophe can be applied to upgrade the safety of the facility.
People in Los Angeles, however, should be more concerned about the safety of LA itself. Large parts of the city are subject to liquification. There are an estimated 50,000 older buildings that do not meet current earthquake standards. That’s not 50,000 people at risk, but 50,000 buildings at risk. The injuries from their possible collapse or shedding of bricks would occur immediately, at a time when transportation would be complicated and hospitals full.
