i'm surprised that folks in OR are worried about a potential evacuation from the western side of the state. I would think that Oregon has enough farms, local communities and resources to cope with displaced people. Seems like everybody should get fed - it may take a little while. But it should happen.

As far as LA goes ... I tend to think that the human response after a giant earthquake may be the dominant factor in an emergency, rather than just the earthquake itself. I honestly cannot predict how people will do. But it's not hard to speculate that families will run out of fresh water in a few days. And at that point they either fight with each other over the remaining (very) scarce resources ... or they try to get out. However, walking out of LA is no mean feat, and could be a grueling trek. Especially for families with children. An escape route going East would take them into the desert ... not attractive from a dehydration point of view. South or north might be better. It's hard to know what will happen to LA - probably depends upon whether there are large-scale fires (after the quake) and large-scale rioting.

Pete2