San Andreas Quake

A Caltech seismologist and his colleague test a new earthquake prediction model at Hoover Dam. An unknown nearby fault ruptures, triggering a Mw 7.1 quake that collapses the dam. Dr. Park sacrifices himself to save a young girl and is swept away by the floodwaters.

Dr. Lawrence Hayes realizes the San Andreas Fault is shifting and could trigger a chain of massive earthquakes along the fault line. He races to warn the population with his students Alexi and Phoebe, along with reporter Serena Johnson and her cameraman Dylan. The warning sets the stage for the wider disaster that follows.

A Mw 9.1 earthquake devastates Los Angeles, plunging the city into chaos. Ray Gaines, a chief rescue helicopter pilot, is called to action and rescues Emma from a collapsing skyscraper. The event marks the personal stakes for the couple amid the global disaster.

In San Francisco, Blake travels with Emma's new boyfriend Daniel Riddick when a major quake strikes and the city erupts in chaos. Daniel panics and abandons Blake as Ben Taylor and his younger brother Ollie rescue her, taking her to Chinatown and calling her parents. The act reveals Daniel's cowardice and forges Blake's bond with her unexpected rescuers.

Ray and Emma attempt to reach San Francisco in Ray's helicopter but experience a gearbox failure, forcing them to land at a Bakersfield shopping mall. They steal a truck to continue the journey, joining other survivors in a desperate cross-state trek. The journey marks a perilous path through a shattered California landscape.

An elderly couple's broken-down car blocks the road, preventing Ray and Emma from slipping into the widening fissure along the highway. They trade the truck for a small airplane owned by the couple and take to the skies toward San Francisco. The improvised flight underscores how survival hinges on unpredictable acts of luck.

While en route to San Francisco, Ray and Emma reminisce about their daughter Melody who drowned years earlier. The moment adds a personal layer to the escalating disaster as they press toward the city.

Ray and Emma parachute into AT&T Park just before the Mw 9.6 quake hits, the largest earthquake in recorded history. They narrowly escape the collapse and begin searching for the group of survivors.

The quake devastates San Francisco, destroying much of the city and triggering a series of tsunamis. Buildings collapse, fires erupt, and aftershocks ripple across the bay as residents scramble for safety. The disaster sets the stage for the survivors' desperate crossing of the bay.

A tsunami roars into San Francisco Bay, capsizing ships and sweeping through the devastated city. A container ship is knocked into the Golden Gate Bridge, killing Daniel during the chaos. Blake, Ben, and Ollie struggle to reach safety as the water tears through the shoreline.

Blake, Ben, and Ollie enter a building called the Gate to signal for help, but the structure collapses and Blake is trapped underwater. Ray dives into the wreckage to pull her out, and Emma crashes a boat through a window to evacuate everyone. Ray resuscitates Blake as the group escapes the collapsing ruin.

The survivors regroup at a relief camp on the far side of the bay. Ray and Emma reconcile their relationship and begin planning a hopeful future amid the ruins. The emotional moment signals a fragile but persistent sense of rebuilding.

Rescue vehicles descend on the ruined landscape as an American flag unfurls on the remains of the Golden Gate Bridge. The disaster has turned the San Francisco Peninsula into an island, with the bay extending from San Jose to Santa Cruz. The image offers a symbol of resilience and the city’s determination to rebuild.