Never mind about the economy

In the fear department, last night's earthquake has the recession beat by a mile. The 4.7 shaker erupted along the Newport-Inglewood fault, which is the same source for the destructive 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The USGS said in a statement: "Two of the early aftershocks, however, are west of the Newport-Inglewood fault trend. Later aftershocks will help to define the fault plane that ruptured." The quake was centered near Lennox, which is between Inglewood and Hawthorne and east of LAX. From the LAT:

The Newport-Inglewood fault, beginning just off the Orange County coast and extending 50 miles northwest through Long Beach, Inglewood and into West Los Angeles, is believed capable of generating a quake in the magnitude-7 range and has been the subject of dire quake scenarios because it runs directly under some of the most densely populated areas of Southern California.

[CUT]

A study by the Division of Mines and Geology found that a quake along the Newport-Inglewood fault could cause blockage of the Hollywood Freeway at the over-crossings for Hollywood and Sunset boulevards, reduction of the capacity of Los Angeles International Airport to 30% for two days, the indefinite loss of 34% of all hospital beds in Los Angeles and Orange counties, the shutdown of five power plants for three days and impediments in water supplies.

Next to that, a severe and long-lasting economic downturn seems like child's play.