Living in California, you live with the chance of having a major earthquake at any minute. And while the thought of having all of your stuff destroyed, and the sewer broken for six months (!), you can relax a bit with your fears about an earthquake taking your life – according to an expert.
You’re about as likely to be shot by a toddler than die in an earthquake,” seismologist Lucy Jones said recently at the National Earthquake Conference in Long Beach.
She said the rate of dying in a California earthquake is about 40 deaths per year over a century – that’s the same number of Americans who were shot by toddlers in 2015 – to which, wow! That’s a lot!
Jones offered the information to alert people not to be frozen by fear of a future earthquake, according to the LA Times.
Jone shared the information as a way to let Californians to know how important quake-proofing their homes and preparing for a big quake is.
“We’re afraid of earthquakes because they make us feel out of control. We can’t control the earthquake, but you can control your environment,” Jones said. “So take control — by making your environment a safe place to be in an earthquake.”
The Times notes that the risk of dying in an earthquake is no higher than 1 in 20,000, which shows that it is extremely unlikely – especially when compared to the lifetime risk of being murdered (1 in 1,000) or dying in a traffic accident (1 in 100).
“You’re far more likely to be murdered than die in an earthquake,” Jones said.
For more information, or to get tips to prepare your home for an earthquake, check out the LA Times article.
