The two quakes that struck near Anza, California measuring 5.2 and a 4.7 today reminds all of us that earthquakes can happen at any time. In most cases, homeowners are not required to purchase earthquake insurance. In fact, it is estimated less than 12 percent of California homeowners have an earthquake insurance policy. Many homeowners cite the increased deductible and decreased coverage for not insuring their home against earthquakes. However, even prior to the Northridge earthquake, less than one-third of California homeowners purchased earthquake policies.

The earth’s surface is broken into plates that move and shift. When the plates bump up against each other, the sudden vertical or lateral movement releases seismic waves, which we feel as an earthquake.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there are more than three million earthquakes worldwide each year. While the vast majority of those are magnitude 3.9 or lower, more than 900 earthquakes measure 5.0 or higher each year.

The moderate 4.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the Los Angeles area last night should serve to remind us all that an earthquake can happen at any time.

Earthquakes are a fact of life for anyone living and working in California. The information on this page can help you prepare, survive and recover the next tumbler.

The earthquake and fire that devastated San Francisco on April 18, 1906 was one of the most significant natural disasters in the United States, as well as the history of insurance.  It produced insured losses of $180 million at the time, equivalent to $3.97 billion in 2010 dollars.  In 1906, just as today, shake damage from earthquake was excluded from standard property insurance policies.  Damage from the fire which followed the earthquake was covered and constituted the vast majority of insured losses.

Visit this page for more information on earthquakes and earthquake preparation from numerous sources.