SLATE: What’s Shakin’? L.A. Earthquakes Don’t Foretell the “Big One” This Time. Plus: “OK, joking aside, this really is something you need to take seriously. Like with asteroid impacts, if you wait long enough, statistically speaking, your chance of getting hit by an earthquake goes up (they occur in all 50 states, I’ll note, and don’t even get me started with the New Madrid fault which affects seven states in the Midwest and South). My advice? If you live near a fault, have an earthquake kit handy. And since there are other natural disasters no matter where you live, everyone should have a kit ready in case of whatever emergency might come along.” Yes.