Comments | frakup: 20 years ago tonight

frakup

20 years ago tonight

Oct 17, 2009 16:44

I was in Evanston, Illinois running back and forth between a frat house and my dorm room alternating between watching San Francisco burn on TV and checking my answering machine to see if anyone managed to call me and tell me my brother was alive and fine. The Loma Prieta earthquake had struck during the World Series game between San Francisco and ( Read more... )

safety first

Comments 10

xebgoc October 18 2009, 01:31:03 UTC

The Loma Prieta was the first quake I knew I'd felt. In retrospect I suspect that I had probably felt many smaller ones thinking that they were trains going by on the tracks nearby - I'd been in California for 5 years by that point, it seems improbable that I hadn't felt one before ( ... )

frakup October 18 2009, 18:34:56 UTC

Wow, that's amazing that you had phone trouble all the way out in Davis! It was crazy to be so far away and not have any idea for hours (might even have been the next day, I don't recall) before we heard from my brother.

I've never felt one that big, only 3s and 4s. I hope I never do, but the odds are against that.

karenor October 18 2009, 01:57:13 UTC

I don't remember it well. But of course I was down here and I was only 11. I remember it being a Big Deal though. And then learning about it in school later ( ... )

frakup October 18 2009, 18:37:59 UTC

Yeah, I expect the Northridge quake had more impact (pun not intended) on you. I can see the Hayward fault from my front door. It's the next one that's supposed to really let go. I am not looking forward to that day.

karenor October 18 2009, 18:48:05 UTC

I hope your Hayward fault behaves itself!

Everyone says the San Andreas is still set to rupture, but BIG down here. Pretty much any day now. Luckily the likely rupture points are all some distance from here (the closest part of the San Andreas is like 35 miles away, I think), though with the size they're thinking? Won't make much difference.

If I'm at home, I'm not really worried. My dad built this house with his own two hands, and it rode out the Northridge Quake easily. Lots and lots of cracks, but no real structural damages to speak of. I know it's safe. But who knows where any of us will be when the time comes.

I'll still take earthquakes over hurricanes and tornadoes and blizzards, though. Even if you CAN predict all those.

frakup October 18 2009, 19:00:50 UTC

I grew up in tornado country. I think I'm still less afraid of tornadoes than I am of a big big quake.

missperkigoth October 18 2009, 04:01:50 UTC

Anyone within a strike zone needs to be prepared. I've even done myself a favor and snuck emergency fags and a flask in my 72 hour kit. Lord knows that this place isn't in the best condition to survive a quake, but we've done what we can to minimize personal injury and property damage.

Loma Prieta was even scarier for us than Northridge. My dad was on a flight that had just taken off when it started. My cousin was stuck on the 34th floor of the pyramid, and we didn't get word from her until 3 in the morning. My other cousin's apartment building was trashed. Pretty much everyone in shaking range was seriously affected. Good Lord, it was a mess.

Every Californian needs to get ready. It's in the post, and the weather is even feeling like it lately.

frakup October 18 2009, 18:54:46 UTC

I am pretty pleased with my kit. It's in a huge bin in the backyard where even if the house collapses I can still get at it. A flask is a very good idea. I'll have to think about that.

They say that the next one to really let go is supposed to be the Hayward fault. It's long overdue. It's the one that makes the hills I can see it from my front door, so the east bay is going to be in bad shape when it happens. My friends and I have all used our burning man prep to prepare out kits. There have even been discussions about whether it would be a good idea to have a gun in the kit. I don't have one in mine, but it certainly makes you think.

jlrpuck October 18 2009, 04:05:40 UTC

I can't believe it's been 20 years. The stories from that day still have incredible power--I was reading one the other day that had me sobbing on the sofa.

Did your participate in the ShakeOut on Thursday?

frakup October 18 2009, 18:57:07 UTC

I didn't participate in the ShakeOut. For all the coverage, I wasn't really aware of it. I think it was mostly civil servants.

The thing that always gets me is that they say the next fault to let go is the one that makes the hills next to my house. I'm as ready as I can be, I think, but that doesn't make it any less scary a prospect.