#269057 - 04/14/14 03:53 PM
Earthquakes and short memories.
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Veteran
Registered: 08/31/11
Posts: 1233
Loc: Alaska
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This morning in the NY Times there is a good video and article: Promises of Preparedness Followed Devastating Earthquakes. And Yet. Readiness, or lack of it, is also on the national mind in this country after back-to-back earthquakes rocked Southern California in late March. Damage was relatively slight. But a question that had loomed for decades suddenly gained new urgency: How prepared are Americans, especially Californians, for the anticipated killer quake routinely referred to with a mixture of dread and awe as the Big One? -------------snip--------------- After Loma Prieta and then a quake of 6.7 magnitude in 1994, California bumped up its readiness by many notches. Billions have been spent fortifying infrastructure elements like bridges, rail systems, water mains, schools and other public buildings. --------------snip------------ ....being better prepared is hardly synonymous with being fully prepared; ........ Once memories of an earthquake fade, there is a tendency to slip back into complacency....... --------------snip----------- Understandably, California draws the most attention, but fault lines snake through pretty much all regions of the United States except the northern Midwest. (New Yorkers tend to forget that a major fault runs along 125th Street in Manhattan. The Harlem Shake may yet refer to more than a dance craze.) Oregon in particular drew Retro Report’s interest because seismologists believe it is due, maybe even overdue, for an enormous quake that could conceivably register as much as a devastating magnitude 9. The video with this article is well worth watching.
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"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more." -Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz
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#269072 - 04/15/14 03:09 PM
Re: Earthquakes and short memories.
[Re: AKSAR]
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Finally, I am a
Member
Registered: 04/08/08
Posts: 119
Loc: Utah
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Great video, good reminders. Thanks.
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“Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival.” W. Edwards Deming
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#269083 - 04/15/14 06:17 PM
Re: Earthquakes and short memories.
[Re: AKSAR]
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Rapscallion
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 02/06/04
Posts: 4020
Loc: Anchorage AK
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It seems lots of places in the US are now past due for having catastrophic sized quakes. One wonders if there might not be some domino effect possible, especially along the west coast.
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The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. -- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)
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#269089 - 04/15/14 07:10 PM
Re: Earthquakes and short memories.
[Re: AKSAR]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 1918
Loc: Washington, DC
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That is an excellent report and video, thanks. For me, experiencing the unexpected will forever include the 5.8 magnitude August 2011 earthquake on the east coast (the Washington Monument -- damaged in that quake -- is only now nearing reopening).
Coincidentally, my to-do list this weekend includes cleaning out the car and fine-tuning the preps in it for spring.
All we, as individuals, can control is how prepared we are.
.
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#269100 - 04/15/14 11:50 PM
Re: Earthquakes and short memories.
[Re: benjammin]
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Geezer in Chief
Geezer
Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
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It seems lots of places in the US are now past due for having catastrophic sized quakes. Earthquake prediction, at present, is not really possible, although there have been lots of attempts. A region may be overdue, or it may be underdue (is that a word?)for all we really know. You just have to get ready,and stay ready. I am now in the habit of filling up when the gas tank is half empty. Post quake, gasoline will be in short supply. I also keep a robust pry bar under the bed....
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Geezer in Chief
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#269118 - 04/16/14 04:35 AM
Re: Earthquakes and short memories.
[Re: hikermor]
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Veteran
Registered: 08/31/11
Posts: 1233
Loc: Alaska
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I also keep a robust pry bar under the bed.... I was going to ask why you need it in the bedroom, but decided that I don't wish to pry into your affairs!
_________________________
"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more." -Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz
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#269121 - 04/16/14 05:28 AM
Re: Earthquakes and short memories.
[Re: AKSAR]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 04/28/10
Posts: 3164
Loc: Big Sky Country
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Here in SD the only quakes we get are "geostatic rebound"- basically the Earth springing back from the weight of the now-melted glaciers that once covered the region.
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“I'd rather have questions that cannot be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” —Richard Feynman
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#269126 - 04/16/14 01:00 PM
Re: Earthquakes and short memories.
[Re: AKSAR]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 07/11/10
Posts: 1680
Loc: New Port Richey, Fla
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if you extend the non preparedness to severe events in general... it's been 10 years since the power outages of the 04 hurricane season, and new (to Florida) neighbors questioned why I have more than one bulk propane tank for the grill...
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#269240 - 04/19/14 01:40 AM
Re: Earthquakes and short memories.
[Re: AKSAR]
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Member
Registered: 03/29/12
Posts: 189
Loc: California
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Pry bars are needed to open doors in damaged door frames after a quake. Everyone working in a building should have one in their desk at work too. However, this may be frowned upon by some employers, so maybe a large screwdriver would be more acceptable.
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#269254 - 04/19/14 06:21 PM
Re: Earthquakes and short memories.
[Re: Treeseeker]
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Enthusiast
Registered: 06/18/06
Posts: 358
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I always thought that if I lived in a quake prone area like SoCal, I'd make sure that each bed in my home had a supply drawer or hollow on the underside for emergency gear. My custom bed would also have a plywood or metal grill canopy , supported by HD posts. What do you think: Chicken Little fantasy or a good marketing idea?
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