Monday, June 29, 2009

The Big One - Redux


I’ve had a lot of response to The Big One, my post about earthquake/emergency preparedness. I like that we are all bonded by fear and procrastination. You are my crowd. Some of you have been commenting, e-mailing and Facebooking (that’s a word now) more tips.

Tedd wrote, "Having been right smack dab in the mayhem of the Loma Prieta quake, I would like to add my suggestion - have sleeping bags, pads and a tent conveniently located and safely accessible. As was the case with us, your house may not have fallen down, but you can't necessarily go back inside for a few days, let alone want to with the aftershocks. Outside can be a much safer place, no matter what the weather is like."

Lisa wrote, "After waking up in mid-air and landing on all fours from the boom and pop of the Northridge quake, I still keep these things under the bed and/or in the nightstand: wooden clogs, sweats and a t-shirt (Good when you are nude - hi! - and need to get out of the house quickly), a hard case for glasses (If your glasses are thrown across the room they won't be crushed and you can also find them easier if it's dark), and a flashlight."

Jerry wrote, "Because cell phones might not work, I would also have an old fashioned plug in phone in the emergency supplies box. Make sure the phone has a cord, because new fangled digital (cordless) phones require electricity, whereas old school phones do not."

So maybe you’ve pulled it together and gotten your supplies. All of that tuna and duct tape cannot save you if you are smushed under a bookcase. I found a link about what to do during the actual shaking part at the USGS site.

If you really want to pound an anxiety cocktail, the fine folks at USGS have another page with a nifty Real Time Earthquake Map that charts all of the latest quakes. When I last looked, there had been 692 in the Southern California area in the past week. It's neat. (And by "neat" I mean horrifying.)

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