USA: '99% probability of 6.7 earthquake in California in next 30 years' - govt official

"A major earthquake in the LA region is not a question of if, but when," said Tom Murayama, Director of Office of Statewide Operations for the California Emergency Management Agency at a symposium on earthquakes held this week at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"What we have learned is that not only are countries like Haiti woefully unprepared to cope with an earthquake of this magnitude, but cities like LA are also unprepared and could suffer major losses of human life and major damage to infrastructure. There is no silver bullet solution, but the key is to apply what we already know to prevent what we know will be," said Kit Miyamoto, President and CEO of Miyamoto International in a presentation about his reconstruction experience in Haiti.

"There are major lessons to be learned from Chile, among them are the need for closer cooperation between government, business and the public sectors to modify building codes and insist on their enforcement. Most damage can be prevented," said Peter Yanev, a World Bank Consultant.

Two expert panels on 'Practical Solutions to Earthquake Disaster Risk Reduction,' and 'How Can We Encourage Increasing LA's Earthquake Resilience?' were also part of the programme.