The Big One: Ready to Rebuild After Quake?

Even though California is a hot spot for earthquakes, many homeowners feel they don't need quake insurance.

Special Section: Earthquake Info, Maps, Resources

It's a fact that "in our lifetime" we will experience a "large, damaging earthquake," said Pablo Ampuero, assistant professor of seismology at CalTech.

"We are basically all threatened by the San Andreas Fault because it's such a large fault. The amount of damage can depend on where the rupture starts," said Ampuero. "But there are also faults that are called blindfolds and we don't know where they are."

The 1994 Northridge quake came from a blindfold, Ampuero said.

Los Angeles sits on a soft soil basin and that means, said Ampuero, the shaking from a large quake could last for a long time, leading to greater devastation in densely populated areas.

Just as earthquakes are a part of life in the Golden State, Chris Nance of the California Earthquake Authority said earthquake insurance should be as well.

"Earthquake insurance gives you the peace of mind that you have the strength to rebuild after an event," said the C.E.A.'s Chief Communications Officer.

Nance said many people think the federal government will act like an insurance policy after a disaster or devastating earthquake.

"Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. While FEMA, the federal government agency that deals with disasters, may have some assistance," he said. "First, you have to qualify and secondly, it may only be up to $30,000."

But don't wait for a shaker to buy quake insurance, said Nance.

"There's a period of time after an [earthquake] that we require new policy holders to wait before the policy becomes active," said Nance.

The reason for that, he said, is the likelihood of aftershocks.

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