Was that your first earthquake?
It isn’t a very nice feeling is it…? I’ve felt a few but never one as long and strong as these two big ones. I think it is safe to say that most of us have heard of the Northridge quake that happened in 1994? That one had a magnitude of 6.7 and killed 16 people as well as causing a huge amount of damage. The most recent large one in Ridgecrest had a magnitude of 7.1 which on paper only sounds fractionally bigger but is in fact over two and a half times greater! It has been reported that one person may have died in Nevada as a result of this. He was unfortunately working under his car at the time the quake hit. But the structural damage is not even half as bad (compared to Northridge) considering the strength. Obviously Ridgecrest has a far smaller population than the San Fernando Valley, but experts also give a lot of credit to the newer buildings which have followed the latest safety codes. This is vital, and scarily cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco have far too many older buildings that still haven’t been made safe enough for ‘the Big One’.
California governor Jerry Brown actually vetoed a proposed bill last year that was intended to draft a tougher construction code to keep buildings usable after a major earthquake. Seismologist, Lucy Jones (of Caltech) has been a big advocate for increasing California’s minimum building standards. Construction costs would only rise 1% to 2%. Perhaps it is time to reconsider, Guv? You could also look into amending the Shake Alert app that Los Angeles City recently introduced as it didn’t work for this one!
It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be prepared though. I have seen many of you post about Emergency Preparedness Kits, which are a good start. But engineers and safety advocates say more can be done before the next big quake hits California. That includes bolting bookshelves to walls, arming kitchen cabinets and clothing dressers with toddler-safe locks, and using quake putty to affix breakable items to shelves. I was actually staying at a B&B in Lake Arrowhead this past weekend and was horrified that the host thought it was acceptable to hang a glass protected picture above the bed. Bookshelves above the bed are another big NO!
My personal musts (other than no dangerous objects over your bed) are the following: Microchip your precious pets! Due to the importance of this, many animal organizations offer this at a discounted rate. The Humane Society in Pasadena only charges $25.
Also: make sure you and your close friends/family designate an out-of-state contact as the likelihood is that phone service will be spotty at best. If you have children you should also make sure their school and any babysitters have this plan in place.
Copy all of your important irreplaceable documents today! In fact, make two copies and keep them in separate places. You can make a physical copy and leave with someone out of state. You could also just upload to your online cloud service. If you are afraid of hackers getting their hands on them you could always take a leaf out Valerie Plame’s book. She was the CIA agent ‘outed’ by George W Bush’s friend ‘Scooter’ Libby. Apparently when she was a spy, she and her husband would communicate using a shared Gmail account. Neither of them ever actually sent a message to or from it, they saved all the correspondence to the drafts folder. So if you are ultra-wary you could do the same by setting up a secret online email account then just store or send everything there. At least it would be accessible from anywhere in the world.
But please don’t worry too much as it might never happen. Lucy Jones also ‘reassuringly’ reminded us this week that “You’re far more likely to be murdered in Los Angeles, than to die in an earthquake and even more likely to die on the freeway….” for more of her words of wisdom follow @DrLucyJones on Twitter.
In other news, it looks like there is a vacancy at the British Embassy in Washington… I feel very sorry for Sir Kim Darroch. I think he made the right choice to resign. As there was no way he could have continued as our British Ambassador. Being constantly diplomatic is testing at the best of times, so imagine what it would be like when your scathing (private!) opinion of your host countries choice of leader is leaked? I am sure we have all been in the same boat but probably not on such a large and costly scale. Do you think he should have brought out the stiff upper lip and stuck it out? Or was he right to resign? We would love to hear your thoughts on this. And also who you think should be appointed as our next representative? Emails can be sent to info@britsin.la
In the meantime stay safe and check in with your local City Hall as many of them are hosting free Earthquake Preparedness events.
Cheers!
Eileen
