OFWW writes:


Considering all the historic quakes on this fault, I find that
statement to be implausible, if not completely false. Particularly
given Loma Prieta, which was the San Andreas and didn't destroy
either SF or Berkeley. No more than Northridge or Sylmar destroyed
LA.

Actually the damage to LA was great.

Not when compared with 1906. And that's because of lessons learned from
Long Beach and Sylmar. From a cost basis, it cost less than Katrina.
Yes, it caused damage, for the most part relatively minor, and the
bulk of which affected soft-story apartment buildings in the valley.

the Northridge/SM earthquake
damage was wide spread. Houses shaken off their foundations, buildings
cracked, just to name a few. As far as downtown proper then the
Burbank earthquake did more.