<p>I'm an international and recently got an offer from UC Berkeley to study Physics. Don't know if this is silly, but after some reading I have found out that there might soon be a huge earthquake at the Hayward Fault (the earthquakes happen at an average interval of 140 years and 2008 was the '140th anniversary' so there's quite a high probability of happening in the next few months/years/decades) and I'm not sure if the risk is really worth the reputation :S I'd appreciate if you guys can share with me your views whether I should accept the offer</p>
<p>There’s a risk of natural disaster anywhere you go. I was born and raised in the East Bay, lived through the 1989 quake and never lost any sleep over living a couple miles from the Hayward Fault. It’s a handy reminder of the power of our dynamic Earth.</p>
<p>There could be another quake tomorrow or there might not be another for a century. Living with risk is a part of living :)</p>
<p>Berkely isnt even on the hayward fault line. But going to school in California, you better be prepared for an earthquake.
Most Californians are not worried about it though. We are very prepared.</p>
<p>Berkeley is most definitely on the Hayward Fault - in fact, the fault trace neatly splits Memorial Stadium in two.</p>
<p>Draw a line along the western base of the East Bay Hills and you basically map the Hayward Fault. The range is a fault block, bounded by the Hayward Fault to the west and the Wildcat Fault to the east.</p>
<p>As a life-long Californian, I have been through many earthquakes, including living in the Bay Area during the '89 quake. It isn’t something that concerns me when all the other benefits of living here are taken into consideration. California has strong building codes and many buildings have been retrofitted to withstand large quakes. Sure, there may be a quake while you are at Cal, but most likely, there won’t be. There also won’t be any hurricanes, tornadoes, snow, etc…</p>
<p>Yeah, doesn’t Bowles Hall (dorm) sit directly on top of the Hayward Fault?</p>
<p>If you’re really that concerned, avoid living in a brick building, though they’re hard to find in Berkeley anyway. I heard that housing built before the 1970s that haven’t been retrofitted… should be retrofitted.</p>
<p>Some places are at risk of hurricanes, some of tornados, some face tsunamis, some have to worry about earthquakes, others may be flooded. It is hard to find someplace that has no natural risks, then layer on top of that human caused risks such as chemical plants, nuke plants, high crime areas . . .</p>
<p>Even if there is a quake along the Cascadia or San Andreas faults, will Berkeley be heavily affected? If there is a tsunami, will Berkeley be heavily affected? I heard that SOUTHERN California is where the effects will be felt the most.</p>
<p>Yes, apparently we’re due for an earthquake soon. Better yet are some of the nuclear fission plants that were built on the San Andreas fault. Older versions than the Japanese plants I heard. There is noooooooooooo free lunch…</p>
<p>So, Berkeley is going to be hugely impacted (because the earthquake is predicted to be in San Francisco). Great. Why is nobody worrying about it, and why are people still enrolling?</p>