THE BIG ONE

QUAKE: It’s a geological time bomb that experts say could kill 4,400 people and cause $60 billion damage. The catastrophic impact of a major quake on the Newport-Inglewood Fault is explained in LIFE, along with a two-page color map (N8) and a guide to making your home safe (N2). The good news: $33,000 has been raised for a unique plan by emergency physicians to stash medical gear at fire stations and schools and train doctors to react. “They want to be effective,” says Dr. Robert H. Bade, the county’s emergency physician, “not just helpless survivors.”