In early 2011, federal and state officials asked 200 Southern California hospitals to provide information about their ability to survive a catastrophic earthquake along the southern San Andreas Fault. The hospitals were asked, for example, how many backup generators they had on hand, what fuel they burned and whether their water tanks could survive the deadly rupture long predicted for one of the nation's most dangerous faults. But nearly two years later, almost half of the hospitals still have not responded, leaving some disaster officials frustrated over their inability to help the hospitals plan for the worst.
