I'm less confident. the reason why - is because we have millions of people in the disaster zone. Literally millions. It's simply IMPOSSIBLE for relief agencies to pass out water and food to millions of people over the space of a few days. it cant be done ... its a logistics impossibility. No doubt there will be some quick-action responders. They might set up some distribution points - but those places will get flooded with people. and many more people will never have access. The whole system would work fine if everyone in L.A. stored 2-3 weeks worth of food and water in their houses. Then it should be possible to get by. But as I said, we're lucky if people have 2-3 days worth of stuff. I do not think it will be possible for the military to enforce martial law on Los Angeles during the 1'st week after the Big Quake. More likely, they will be told to guard specific keypoints that need protection. But the city will be very messed up, it's a very big area, and there are far too many confused, frightened and rioting people. I still think "anything is possible" in that first 7-10 day period.

AND just to add something ... food for thought. The Marines at Camp Pendleton - yes they're a "force for good". But the problem for them is that the "escape route" for L.A. that goes south might be intact ... meaning that thousands and thousands of desperate people from L.A. will head towards San Diego. The Pendleton Marines will have their hands completely full - just dealing with those refugees, getting them supplies, and keeping law & order. And the Marines at Twenty-Nine Palms have a totally different headache. First, they are right beside the San Andreas fault - so they will take damage themselves. And then next ... their immediate neighbors are Palm Springs and Palm Desert. Those two populated areas are sitting on TOP of the San Andreas - they will be rubble. So the Twenty-Nine Palms Marines probably cant get any further than Palm Springs - so much help will be needed right there. And if they do go deeper into L.A. - they will just encounter huge crowds of refugees who are trying to escape by going east. It's a mess. No matter what the Marines commanders decide - its Mission Impossible.

Just my $0.02.
And I would certainly like to be wrong about this.

Pete