A powerful rush-hour earthquake that rocked Taiwan, one of the best-prepared locations in the world for temblors, on Wednesday morning could provide crucial lessons for Southern California. The quake, measured at magnitude 7.4 by the U.S. Geological Survey, killed at least nine people and injured hundreds on the island, which is about 1½ times the size of Vermont. Like California, Taiwan is no stranger to powerful and damaging earthquakes. The factors that probably reduced the damage inflicted... Read this story