Ray Gaines
Ray is the film's protagonist. An ex-military serviceman and current Los Angeles Fire Department Air Rescue pilot, Ray and his wife, Emma, have separated and are in the midst of a divorce. While Ray's actions show his willingness to put his life on the line to save others, Ray becomes estranged from his wife because of his tendency to repress emotions and his inability to cope with the guilt he feels over his daughter Mallory's death. However, Ray reconciles with Emma as they work together to rescue their other daughter, Blake.
Emma Gaines
Emma is Blake's mother and Ray's ex-wife. She begins the film in a relationship with Daniel, a wealthy developer she plans to move in with as she finalizes her divorce from Ray. When earthquakes rock the San Andreas Fault, Ray rescues Emma from a top-floor restaurant in Los Angeles. Emma is enraged to learn that Daniel abandoned Blake when she was trapped in a car. As she and Ray go to San Francisco to reunite with their daughter, Emma rekindles her feelings for Ray and the couple reconciles.
Blake Gaines
Blake is the daughter of Ray and Emma. When the film begins, Blake is about to start college at Washington State. When her father is called away for work and cannot drive her, Blake travels with her mother's boyfriend, stopping first for him to attend a meeting in San Francisco. After the first earthquake strikes, Daniel abandons Blake in his private car, where she is pinned under a concrete beam. With the help of Ben and Ollie, Blake is freed from the car. She uses her survival knowledge to get Ben and Ollie to safety, and develops a romantic connection with Ben.
Ben Taylor
Ben is a shy Englishman who is in San Francisco to interview for a job at Daniel's company. He and his little brother Ollie save Blake when she is trapped in the parking lot of the collapsing office building. Ben follows Blake's lead as they navigate the crumbling city, learning to trust that she is equipped with greater survival skills than him. Ben suffers an injury when a large piece of glass gets lodged in his leg, but Blake removes it and helps him continue walking. At the end of the film, it appears as though Ben and Blake have begun a romantic relationship.
Dr. Lawrence Hayes
Dr. Hayes is a seismologist at Caltech who studies fault lines and creates technology that can predict earthquakes. When he and his colleague discover seismic activity along a section of the San Andreas fault that was previously unknown, Dr. Hayes and his research team scramble to inform the public of a series of massive earthquakes coming to coastal California. Dr. Hayes's early warning leads to the saving of thousands of lives that might otherwise have been lost.
Dr. Kim Park
Dr. Park is a Caltech seismologist who works with Dr. Hayes. When Dr. Park discovers new seismic activity, he excitedly travels with Hayes to the Hoover Dam in Nevada to confirm their measurements. However, an earthquake strikes the state and the dam begins collapsing. Sacrificing himself, Dr. Park rescues a frightened girl and then is lost in the dam's destruction.
Daniel Riddick
Daniel is Emma's boyfriend. A wealthy property developer, Daniel flies with Blake to San Francisco in a private plane, stopping over in the city for a meeting before taking her to college in Washington. Daniel gains Blake's trust when he tells her he doesn't intend to get in the way of her relationship with her father even though he is moving in with her mother. However, Daniel reveals his cowardice when he abandons Blake in his car as she sits trapped by a fallen beam. Daniel ends up dying when a container from a flipped-over ship flattens him on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Ollie Taylor
Ollie is Ben's little brother. On a trip to San Francisco from their home in England, Ollie is excited to explore the city. He is also more forthright than his shy brother, boldly asking Blake for her phone number on his brother's behalf as soon as he meets her. Ollie's guidebook of San Francisco proves a useful tool in helping the trio navigate the city after the earthquakes.
Serena (The Journalist)
Serena is a TV news reporter who interviews Ray's crew during the rescue depicted in the opening scene. The same reporter later interviews Dr. Hayes about what happened at the Hoover Dam. When another earthquake hits California, she stays with Hayes and helps broadcast the message of impending massive quakes.
Mallory Gaines
Mallory is the deceased daughter of Ray and Emma. Having died during a rafting accident when she was a child, Mallory only appears in the film in photographs and a brief flashback of Ray's. Grief and guilt over Mallory's death contribute to the dissolution of Ray and Emma's marriage.
