This was my reality after the Northridge quake. First, living just north of the L.A./Ventura line we lost electrical power. We called a relative in Washington State to let them know we were allright. He informed us our Grandmother ( in Northridge) was O.K. , but the house was damaged. This system allows people to have a safe contact without tying up local communications needed by emergency personel. We loaded flashlights, extra blankets, water, coleman two burner stove and my Mauser. The allready rude driving habits of SoCal were exasperated by knocked out signals, gas fires erupting from the asphalt and the many cinderblock fences knocked into the street. There were no police checkpoints as in a localized fire situation ( the few units available were literally a THIN BLUE LINE, and they weren't responding to loud radio complaints.) The key word was GO SLOW @ 25mph, heads on swivels. On arrival we learned their water was off ( Ventura, on a different system was functioning.) We prepared a campsite with the tent as I secured the gas line. The neighborhood consisted of families that had lived together since 1926. The coleman got a workout as we pooled resources and secured each home on the street ( broken windows, gas shut off, pets secured, food pooled.) A community before a disaster is a community during a disaster, even Hollywierd. If you don't know your immediate neighbors now, introduce yourself. That night there WERE looters. I watched 2 scale the fence with sacks and large screwdrivers. When the mauser bolt double chirped, they announced they were looking for work. I let them clear the collapsed brick chimney all night and gave them a running start at daybreak. Water was trucked in with a quota. Flashlights were at a premium. Gouging at some local retailers occured. People took names and there were prosecutions later. A co worker who's apartment was the one with fatalities moved to Oklahoma shortly after. He later got hit by a tornado.