A devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck areas of Turkey and Syria earlier this week is a “poster child” for what could happen in California, according to a geologist.

Monday’s temblor has left more than 20,000 people dead and destroyed thousands of homes. Around 75,000 people were injured and it is unclear how many people are still unaccounted for in both countries.

Karl Mueller, a professor of geological sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder, explained in an interview with the Associated Press that tectonic plates can crunch together or slide sideways.

“That’s what we’re seeing in Turkey. We’re seeing one plate moving northward and bumping into Turkey, and Turkey is sliding sideways out of the way of that bigger plate,” Mueller said.

He added that Californians can “expect” the same thing to happen along the San Andreas Fault, which runs about 745 miles through California.

“This earthquake is a poster child for what’s going to happen in Southern California … Granted, there are differences between infrastructure and urbanization in Turkey versus Southern California, but in terms of the energy that’s released in the earthquake, this what we think is going to happen,” Mueller said.

As for how to prepare for an earthquake of that scale, the geologist said stocking up on supplies like water and food is a must.

“It’s a good idea to have a couple of weeks’ worth of water supply. A bunch of gallon jugs or even a 55-gallon drum of water stored somewhere in your house, nonperishable food, have a couple of weeks of food … know where your gas shut off valve is. That’s a real concern,” he said.