yeeks! We had an earthquake!

[pardes]

Okay, Dogmama, confess. Your dog told you that joke, right?

You have a very funny dog.

While reading through a few dozen bike blogs this weekend I came to one with a cartoon from Savage Chickens. They are like Farside cartoon....sometimes you just can't stop laughing and half the time you aren't really sure why you are laughing.

I particularly like these kinds of cartoon where no one, no thing, no group is the brunt of the joke and the joke relies on its own merits to be funny.

[Trek420]

anyone on the north coast?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BALS1BG3RV.DTL

[Running Mommy]

wow. Need to call my bro. He is a commercial fisherman in Crescent city. Surely he felt it. Odd thing was around that time I was on the phone w/my mom in Brookings OR! I bet she felt it. She feels them ALL!! (actually surprised I didn't get a call)...

[Trek420]

I called my mom (Sonoma). She didn't feel it but says she did feel the smaller one we had in the South bay recently. I didn't feel either one.

[Pax]

I don't know how you all do it, I can handle tornadoes, have lived through five hurricanes in FL, hail/fire/flood...but earthquakes scare the living hell out of me!

[jobob]

That's reasonable - you have a bit of warning with hurricanes & storms & fires & floods; not so much with tornadoes, but some. Earthquakes just happen.

But really, the vast majority of them feel like a big truck is rolling past your house, if even that. You get used to it. And try to be prepared.

[Trek420]

"The big one" will not feel like a large truck driving by But it's all part of the thrill of living in paradise earthquakes, floods, fires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcbK0qGuOsY

I think we all do our best to be prepared, it's hard to have everything but I try to keep an earthquake kit at home and at work, water and food etc.

Speaking of which I need to rotate the water in my kit soon.

[Biciclista]

no, it will more like being in the path of a loaded freight train!

[Pax]

That's reasonable - you have a bit of warning with hurricanes & storms & fires & floods; not so much with tornadoes, but some. Earthquakes just happen.

But really, the vast majority of them feel like a big truck is rolling past your house, if even that. You get used to it. And try to be prepared.

We've had a couple of 4.2's around here and they left me wigged out for days...you can't hide from them, you can't run away. *shudder*

My SO's job is on the line right now and we're discussing the possibility of another move in a year or so (I really don't want to, but it is what it is), California is on the list because of her profession...I would hope I could get used to them, being freaked out all the time would suck!

[Trek420]

Actually the most powerful quake in the written history of these United States was in the midwest. The Mississippi ran backwards for a bit of time

You can't predict them, I don't know if I'd want to know I think you can only be as prepared as best you can and do your best. It's interesting in the SFGATE article the people lining up at the hardware store for flashlights AFTER the quake

Show of hands: if USGS could tell us "8.0 in 30 seconds" would you want to know?

[Catrin]

Actually the most powerful quake in the written history of these United States was in the midwest. The Mississippi ran backwards for a bit of time

Indeed, and it also rang church bells in Boston The New Madrid fault is no slouch, and hopefully it will be a LONG time before it goes again. There were eyewitness accounts of something called "land waves" (just like it sounds) that were something over 3 feet tall due to the force of the earthquake, and there were hundreds of aftershocks over a good period of time. (I want to say they were taller than that, but my memory may be off - it's been some time since grad school).

Show of hands: if USGS could tell us "8.0 in 30 seconds" would you want to know?

Hmmmm, part of me says "yes" the other says "nope" but, in the end, what could one do with that kind of knowledge in such a brief time period other than to say a prayer?

[Trek420]

If indoors get under a sturdy desk or table, hold onto it
if unable to do that go to interior reinforced walls like stairway wall
Get awaaaaaaay from glass and windows
If outside head towards open space, avoiding windows and of course power lines.

Stay there till the shaking stops.

Let's see, if you're at work or in an office don't necessarily evacuate. Stay put and have your safety team (that'd be me at my work) make sure the exits are safe. Nothing like having everyone rush out and find they can't

Attend to injuries wherever you are.
Do not turn off the gas unless you detect a leak.
Do look for things like downed power and broken pipes. Where'd I put the shut off valve thingies?

Stay off the g*d damn phone! In a real big one leave the lines for first responders. Do not call your Mommie. Establish a family call tree of one person waaaay out of the area and if necessary call them, say you're ok, and have them call the rest.

I'll think of more after coffee with the Spazzdog and rotate my earthquake kit. Talk amoungst yourselves about emergency prep.

[bmccasland]

One thing we learned after Hurricane Katrina - cell phone towers get clogged, or go down completely. So have an emergency contact number with someone in a different area code. I have friends who live here (New Orleans metro area), but now have cell phone numbers from Texas - where they bought new phones while they were evacuated post storm.

[Trek420]

One thing we learned after Hurricane Katrina - cell phone towers get clogged, or go down completely. So have an emergency contact number with someone in a different area code. I have friends who live here (New Orleans metro area), but now have cell phone numbers from Texas - where they bought new phones while they were evacuated post storm.

In terms of standard POTS (plain 'ol telephone service) a little known factoid is central office systems were never meant to provide dial tone for everyone whose lines are served outa the CO. When disaster strikes our instinct is to pick up the phone and call our Mom and Dad's or someone.

When everyone does that at once .... you overload the system and it just plain goes kaflump. It's the same for your cell tower regardless of who/where you call.

If you simply must call within the first 72 hours or so pick up the phone .... if there is no dial tone wait. Don't hang up. It'll be a while. Don't hang up. It should be there. Then call that one person your family has already established as the emergency contact when you did the family emergency drill. Cause you all have each others numbers, right?

Tell them you're ok .... or not. If not tell them what you need and let them take care of it.

The other thing I think we've all learned from Katrina is in a true emergency, Cat 5 tornado, 8.0 quake .... you may be on your own for a while.

Are you prepared? http://72hours.org

[KnottedYet]

The one juicy earthquake I remember being in (2001 Nisqually quake) I promptly ran to a big plate glass window and looked outside to see what was going on.

Oh, yeah, I'm smart. S-M-R-T....