Why federal employees are essential to earthquake safety in the U.S.

Earthquake preparation hinges in large part on the expertise of scientists and engineers in federal agencies who develop earthquake hazard models and building codes.

Earthquakes and the damage they cause are apolitical. Collectively, we either prepare for future earthquakes or the population eventually pays the price. The earthquakes that struck Myanmar on March 28, 2025, collapsing buildings and causing more than 2,700 deaths, were a sobering reminder of the risks and the need for preparation.