I haven't been back to SoCal since I left in 1980, 30 years. I know it's worse than what I remember, and even then, you could almost walk the rooftops from the Pacific Ocean to Redlands without touching the ground.

The idea of a mega quake hitting there is mind-boggling, more than the mind can really comprehend. But I'll bet that most of the people there will be found on their lawn chairs, watching the sky for FEMA helicopters to deliver their cold drinks and hot meals.

And Pete, you're absolutely right about the current day-to-day stresses that are eating away at people. If we don't slide right into a full-scale economic depression, I will be incredibly surprised.

Can you imagine a full-scale depression and then being hit by a mega-quake anywhere in the western U.S.? A zombie apocolypse pales by comparison.

Sue