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Man predicts 8.8 magnitude earthquake will strike California on Thursday

Posted at 11:42 AM, May 28, 2015
and last updated 2015-05-28 13:42:25-04

SACRAMENTO -- A Dutch man is telling Californians to be prepared.

In a video posted to YouTube and viewed by hundreds of thousands of people, Frank Hoogerbeets predicts the planets will align Thursday and at 4 p.m. PT, an 8.8+ magnitude earthquake will rattle the western shore of the United States.

"I believe I know when exactly it is going to be. I hope I am wrong," Hoogerbeets told KTXL Wednesday, adding that he has no science degree but is an enthusiast.

"It really comes together May 28, 2015," he said in the video.

But seismologists say there is no way to predict the time and date of an earthquake. Regardless, the staff at the Sacramento Office of Emergency Services says they're ready.

"We are always prepared for an earthquake [and all other disasters]," Mary Jo Flynn said.

Flynn said the staff at OES were not aware of the viral video.

"I trust the science from the [USGS] scientists we work with," she said.

Still, what if there is a sliver of possibility that Hoogerbeets is right?

Hoogerbeets claims he came within two days of predicting the Nepal earthquake, which killed nearly 8,800 people last month. An unedited Facebook post on his profile confirms he did predict an earthquake that same week.

The USGS estimated in March 2015 that there is a 7 percent chance of an 8.0 magnitude earthquake occurring in the next 30 years in California.