We already witnessed the effect of the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from last year's hurricanes. It would have huge social and economic effects on the entire country.

We have reports of motion being perceptible from way south of Los Angeles to way north of San Francisco.

It's the first time we've been inside the earthquake machine. We've looked at the fossil earthquakes, we've made computer models, and we've made laboratory earthquakes. We've studied them from afar, but we've never been inside the machine where the action is.

We expect that it will be several days before we have more definitive information about the earthquake.