Earthquakes might not be able to be predicted accurately, but some recent research 'claims' there some physical signs that can comes before earthquake comes. E.g. : helium and radon gas. Research related to 2011 Tohoku earthquake also reported that there is some magnetic anomaly before the earthquake.
People that noticed these anomaly, however, cannot correlates these anomaly to the necessary parameter that is really required for true earthquake prediction: Magnitude, Location, and Time. Without saying what is the magnitude and location, you cannot estimate the earthquake damage. Time limit is also important.