Hi all,

I always knew it would be tough to evacuate San Francisco in the event of a big earthquake. But, the havoc caused when folks tried to evacuate Houston really opened my eyes. There are only three ways of getting out of the city: north over the Golden Gate Bridge, east over the Bay Bridge and south through the peninsula. The drivers around here aren't the best. The first rain produces dozens of accidents and it only takes a couple to stop all traffic on the freeway. In additon, USGS predicts hundreds of road closures in the event of a major earthquake. So, I think trying to evacuate would be impractical for me (YMMV). Bay Area people outside San Francisco would have it easier, but it would be at least as bad as Houston during Rita.

Anyone given any thought to what you would do in an urban environment, in the event of a major earthquake, when your house in uninhabitable? Everyone's learned that going to a shelter is a BAD IDEA. I've thought about just grabbing my wife, dogs, food, water and backpacking gear, and camping out in Golden Gate Park.

BTW, it appears that almost all of the New Orleans reports of sniping, rapes and murders were wild rumors. People helped each other out as best they could. I know all my neighbors and people around here are pretty cool. I would need to be careful. Every place has bad guys!

Thanks!