In 2006 an engineering firm related to the EERI has projected over $ 122 billion in damages , if a repeat of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake occurs . This number includes damages to homes and structures , excluding fire damage . The EERI lobbies for government funding to prevent natural disasters . The money is best spent before loss of life and large-scale structural damage , though often it is not seen until afterward , as evidenced by Hurricane Katrina . The EERI and the USGS have identified that a potential large earthquake in Los Angeles would cause more damage than Katrina at New Orleans , with up to $ 250 billion in total damages and 18,000 deaths
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute