The epicenter of an earthquake is the area where the least amount of damage takes place.

Yes it can be.

Explanation:

Surface damage. The epicenter is directly above the earthquake's hypocenter (also called the focus). In most earthquakes, the epicenter is the point where the greatest damage takes place, but the length of the subsurface fault rupture may indeed be a long one, and damage can be spread on the surface across the entire rupture zone.

most community's take hundreds of years to become stable