L.A. quake scenario: 1,800 dead, area in flames

The “Big One,” as earthquake scientists imagine it in a detailed, first-of-its-kind script, unzips California’s mighty San Andreas Fault north of the Mexican border. In less than two minutes, Los Angeles and its sprawling suburbs are shaking like a bowl of jelly. The jolt from the magnitude-7.8 temblor lasts for three minutes – 15 times longer than the disastrous 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Water and sewer pipes crack. Power fails. Parts of major highways break. Some high-rise, steel-frame buildings and older concrete and brick structures collapse. For the full story visit http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_9340414