ABSTRACT
The Parkfield earthquake prediction experiment is the first earthquake prediction and warning to ever surface in the United States that has been sanctioned by the National Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council and California Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council. Earthquake prediction drills involved communication sequences that will be initiated whenever a 72-hour earthquake warning is issued. Parkfield residents have incorporated the risk of earthquakes into their local belief systems and norms. The 1983 Coalinga earthquake also stimulated a great deal of public information campaigns to help the residents of the area be better prepared for future earthquakes. The State Office of Emergency Services offered suggestions to the city staff members about how to respond to the next Parkfield earthquake and its short-term prediction should one be issued. Earthquakes help mark time for people in Parkfield, and many residents recollect the 1966 event either because they were there or because others have told them about it.
