Do you have a reference for the Fox "News" story? I went to their web site and could find nothing about that.

A

A rather incideary statement, and one I can't find on their website either. Did they give any proof, or was it just make it up as they go along?

My heart goes out to these people and the orphans also. Most people (including Californians) have no idea how violent these can be. I was in an 8 in 1968 in Okinawa, you have to experience it to believe it. I wouldn't be surprised if the death toll was 10x what the govt. is admitting. I wish there were a way to help more in a tangible way (including Burma), but there isn't.

The problem with earthquake shelters is that you don't know to seek shelter before the initial shock, and if you survive that it's probably better to shelter in the open in anticipation of aftershocks than it is to go into a structure with gas lines, electrical lines, uncertain structural integrity, etc.

It might make more sense to put resources into storing camping gear in an externally-accessible bin rather than trying to build in internal shelter: try to arrange things so that you don't go to go throughout the house to find all the parts of the tent, sleeping bags, etc. What makes sense depends on the layout of the house. A small shed out back for camping gear would be much preferred rather than going back in that house.

(the popular view seems to be that you can't predict earthquakes, but you _can_ anticipate that there will be aftershocks, so speaking of preparing for an earthquake makes some sense)

Disclaimer - I've never live in an earthquake area, only in hurricane country.

A scary but also (at least when I read it) optimistic article about a couple's ordeal of being buried together in their collapsed dormitory building for 28 hours. The building just came down almost as soon as they tried to run for cover.

As the rubble subsided over time, breathing became extremely difficult as the weight of the debris pressed down on them. The couple actually had to coordinate their breathing because there wasn't enough room for both people to inhale at the same time. The husband eventually despaired and tried to kill him myself by twisting his neck against the surrounding debris but the wife kept his spirits up. Very sobering account to read. But they were both rescued and their daughter, at school at the time, was safe, too.

Here's some examples of shelter in place. Note dinner getting away in front of the lean-to. These people seem to be pretty good at shelter building. Hey! my other pics seem to have been lost after the forum upgrade. I can't remember where I got them from. Oh well.

Even our Governor Schwarzenegger appears to have sent something to inspire the victims. I think Conan the Barbarian was his best movie.

Here's a good account of a couple trapped and their rescue. Note the wife's excellent survival mindset:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/19/asia/survive.php?page=1