HOW DO EARTHQUAKES AFFECT SOCIETY? The earthquake hazard poses the most serious intermediate term risk to the health, safety, and economic viability of many parts of the United States and throughout the world. Recent earthquakes demonstrated the risks to modern industrial societies from such cataclysmic events, affecting everything from massive loss of life, infrastructure damage, and financial instability. Much larger earthquakes can be expected to occur adjacent to many metropolitan regions in the United States. Examples: 1. The Northridge earthquake (1994) was a modest (magnitude 6.7) event which caused 57 deaths, over $20 billion of damage, and created major disruption of the Los Angeles area infrastructure.