Well ... the big earthquake in Japan was a vivid reminder for us to get our act together out here in Los Angeles. My wife and I will be holding a special earthquake drill for our family tomorrow night. It's important that our kids know what to do. In addition, we will be adding to our stored water and food, and i will add extra cooking fuel and blankets to our earthquake supplies. Extra meds and bandages too.

The Japanese earthquake is relevant to us for a couple of reasons. Since the 2004 tsunami that hit Thailand & Indonesia, there have been a lot of big earthquakes around the Pacific rim. I can think of big quakes in Chile, Baja, New Zealand, Indonesia and Japan. To me, this seems to point to the fact that the tectonic plates under the Pacific are undergoing significant adjustments in their forces. How much longer before we see some sort of major adjustment on the American side of these plates?? I have to believe it's getting closer.

Second, a lot of people tend to equate earthquakes in L.A. with shaking of the land (above sea level). But we are also potentially vulnerable to a major undersea quake, just like they had in Japan. I would venture to guess that the Japanese are better prepared for tsunamis than we are - by several orders of magnitude. We will take some very serious damage if we get an 8.9 earthquake located off our coastline. It won't affect my house personally, because I live on top of a hill near the beach. But i am starting to think about having some rescue gear available for this kind of thing. I can drive down to the beach in about 5 minutes. It would be pretty easy to throw some gear into my pickup and get down there immediately after a serious tsunami incident. Any suggestions? ... I'll consider them.

cheers,
other Pete