A deadly earthquake just hit Venezuela, and scientists warn California's main faults are now more stressed than they've been in over a thousand years — bad news for anyone living near them.

• Two huge quakes struck Venezuela seconds apart, collapsing buildings, killing over 160 people, injuring hundreds, with thousands still missing and the death toll expected to climb.
• The same day, a smaller quake hit Northern California — a reminder that the state's big faults are loaded and waiting.
• The San Andreas and San Jacinto faults near Southern California's Cajon Pass are under the highest stress measured since the last major quake in 1857.
• Small quakes do not "release pressure" and buy safety — that common belief is wrong, and the big one is still coming.
• California is not ready: wildfire response already exposed weak disaster planning, and the advice is to stock water, food, batteries, and an earthquake kit.

Outlook: A major California earthquake is seen as inevitable in our lifetime, with no way to predict timing — only to prepare.