Consider these factors when trying to determine the earthquake risk of where you live Earthquakes are one of the most difficult natural disasters to prepare for. Despite the fact that half the world?s population lives near active faults, massive quakes are infrequent enough that many don?t realize their proximity to faults?much less what to do when an earthquake hits.
Earthquake risk zones, too, are far less discussed and publicized than flood zones, though the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps them. According to FEMA, there are three main factors that determine your seismic risk: the level of the seismic hazard, the number of people and amount of property exposed to said hazard, and how vulnerable these people and property are to the hazards. Curbed spoke with experts in the field to find out what this risk formulation actually means, and how homeowners should best prepare.
Understanding seismic hazards
Some states, like California and Utah, have thousands of fault lines running underneath them that cause frequent earthquakes that are too small to even feel. ?Small earthquakes are happening every day near you, and large earthquakes are happening somewhere around the globe that may not be in your mind,? says Volkan Sevilgen, the co-founder of Temblor, an app that estimates the likelihood of seismic shaking and home damage.
According to FEMA, seismic hazards are ?sources of potential harm or loss during earthquakes.? These hazards can be naturally occu...