A small earthquake…
Tonight I felt my first earthquake in San Francisco. At first, I did not know what was going on, only that something was wrong and I instinctively went over to my husband. We quickly grabbed shoes, jackets and water before heading outside to wait a little bit before coming back inside. This seems so silly, but it is an instinct that is quite normal when you look around and see everything moving in your apartment. When we arrived back inside, I checked out the San Francisco Chronicle and found a breaking story on the front page. It is getting updated periodically tonight, so I am not putting up a specific site address. For information specific to this quake, you can go to this link (also found on the San Francisco Chronicle) USGS Earthquake Hazards Program - Northern California.
I also started doing a little research online on hand crank flashlights and radios. I found a model that is also available on NPR.org. By purchasing the radio on NPR, a portion of the sale goes to NPR. Perhaps I am jumping to conclusions by buying the hand crank radio (with flashlight), but it will help me sleep better at night (especially once my new radio is delivered). It reminds me how much I take for granted, like safety.
August 3rd, 2006 at 2:19 pm
We often keep such supplies ready in our safe room here in Norway, in case of winter hurricanes - yes, you heard right. A hurricane with winter temperatures - not to be confused with a blizzard.
August 3rd, 2006 at 10:15 pm
Interesting. I guess you would need a few more waterproof items and blankets in your supply kit. Have you ever gotten evacuated? From a Californian, your experience sounds very interesting
August 7th, 2006 at 8:40 pm
Leah, this was my first earthquake too. I was eating a delicious dinner with my boyfriend’s family when suddenly, my plate of pasta began to tremble. For a second, I thought the family dog had run into the table, as he does once in a while out of excitement and the prospect of scoring some chicken. Suddenly, the boyfriend’s Aunt yelled: “Earthquake!” and my heart skipped. Grandma, a devoted Catholic, made the sign of the cross and I swear, I almost lost it at that moment. As you know, the quake was brief, but it terrified me like nothing else in the world. I spent the rest of the night fearing an aftershock of greater magnitude.
I know many people from the Bay Area are indifferent or accepting of Earthquakes since it is ingrained in their lifestyles and mentality. It is so much a part of the landscape. Coming from a different background, I spent my life anticipating hurricanes. Many people that I’ve spoken to find the concept of a hurricane much more frightening than an Earthquake. They say that a hurricane lasts longer (hours vs. mere minutes for a quake) and causes more damage due to winds of almost 200mph. From my perspective, there is something infinitely unnerving about the sponteneity of a quake, the way it sneaks up on you and the loss of all control it brings. On the other hand, an approaching hurricane is detected days in advance. We track it and prepare for the worst. We know exactly when it will hit and if our homes are not secured in time, we pack up, and go to a shelter.
What do you think about this perspective?
August 7th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
You are correct, a hurricane definately gives a person more time to prepare for the worst or evacuate to safety. Personally, if I had to choose, I would choose a really bad sunburn.
OK, bad analogy, but seriously, natural disasters are horrible any way you slice them. As a type A, compulsive planning sort of person, I would have to choose a hurricane. The earthquake shook me up a bit. The element of surpise is not a welcome feeling. It definately reminds me how little I am in control of.
We received our new hand crank emergency radio tonight and immediately started figuring out how to use it. We even listened to the Giants game tonight on the hand crank radio! The earthquake has caused a bigger discussion in our apartment - we need more emergency supplies!
August 7th, 2006 at 11:05 pm
Wow, a bad sunburn is miserable. I hate the fever, night sweats, and tingling pain that comes with it. Not to mention that peeling and mismatching skin pigments. But I think I too would choose a sun burn over a natural disaster.
I have a deep problem with the idea of losing control of my environment. Air planes frighten me because if anything happened, there would be nothing I could do to remedy the situation. I break into cold sweat when I am in the passanger seat of a car going to fast or driving too recklessly. I am always cautious when I drink alcohol because I fear losing control of my thoughts and actions. With this being said, the event of an earthquake is another addition to this long list of fears related to ‘losing control.’
I think that creating an earthquake preperation kit may help me feel a little better about everything. Thank you for inspiring me. I am glad to hear you got a transistor radio and can even use it to listen to baseball games.
How nifty! For now, I pray ‘the big one’ doesn’t strike, and if it does, I hope its not as horrible as everyone makes it out to be….