Study: Repeat of quake to be more deadly

A new study indicates the next big San Francisco earthquake will be deadlier than the 1906 tremor than devastated the city.

In a worst-case scenario, the study says as many as 3,400 may die, mostly crushed by buildings, up to 700,000 displaced or made homeless and about 130,000 structures extensively damaged or destroyed, The Washington Post reports.

The loss from such a repeat could exceed $125 billion, equal to the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans.

The study, called "When the Big One Strikes Again" and conducted by structural engineer Charles Kircher and his colleagues, used the best estimates of the size and strength of the April 18, 1906, event. That quake, measuring 7.9 Richter quake, set off a firestorm that killed more than 3,000 people and destroyed vast sections of San Francisco.

Seismologists generally agree a repeat of a 1906-size earthquake is inevitable, though when and where along the fault are unknown, The Post reported.

The study was sponsored by several scientific societies and the 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International