Before we moved to Cali, I was discussing the possibility of a move with a friend of mine who lives here in Oceanside. I think I was expressing my fear of an earthquake and that that alone may hold me back in my desire to move.
My girlfriend said to me "You New Yorkers are an odd sort, you worry about getting a snow or ice storm. You scurry all around gathering supplies to hunker down for a week or so. Run to the store, get 12 gallons of milk, 8 loaves of bread, enough batteries to power a space shuttle and then after all that, there are times that little or no snow emerges". She proceeded to say that "We Californians just scream EARTHQUAKE and by the time we begin to breath again, the quake is over and then we go about our day".
The "friend" and I are no longer close but I must say the bitch was right. This summer I experienced a very small earthquake. I actually thought it was a big truck going down the road rattling the windows. By the time I yelled "Earthquake", the earthquake had passed.
I've just learned that tomorrow at 10:00AM California time, San Diego County is to take place in a mock earthquake drill. See, I knew those rice cakes would come in handy.
LOS ANGELES – California will star in a mock earthquake disaster drill Thursday – considered the largest in U.S. history – with some 5 million people pledging to do everything from ducking for cover to rescuing faux victims.
The exercise centers on a hypothetical magnitude-7.8 earthquake that unzips the southern San Andreas Fault – an event that scientists call the feared “Big One.” Such a quake would cause 1,800 deaths and $200 billion in damage, researchers estimate.
Previous simulated quake catastrophes put on by the state were smaller in scale with the leading actors mainly first responders and cities testing their emergency preparedness. Thursday's drill is more of an ensemble cast with governments, schools, hospitals, churches, businesses and residents promising to do their part.
Previous simulated quake catastrophes put on by the state were smaller in scale with the leading actors mainly first responders and cities testing their emergency preparedness. Thursday's drill is more of an ensemble cast with governments, schools, hospitals, churches, businesses and residents promising to do their part.
2 comments:
From a So Cal native, you just get used to these quakes, real or not. They break up the monotony of the day. Sure beats snow storms and tornados...
Well-done, my friend. And wow! Was this your third post in one week? Nice. You're earning that trip to BlogHer :)
BUT, I still do not get it; the odds of being there for "the Big One" seem pretty good to me....
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