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I lived through the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake near the epicenter in Aptos California. My house suffered extensive damage. I think 3 people total were killed i

I lived through the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake near the epicenter in Aptos California. My house suffered extensive damage. I think 3 people total were killed in Santa Cruz. One was standing next to a brick building and the other was next to a horse that bolted. A 10 second warning probably would have saved their lives, if they were prepared to take action when they got it. On the other hand, I don't think a 10 second warning would have done me any good. It's a great technology though.

xattt 5y ago
It’s an interesting test of people’s situational awareness: what am I near right now that has the potential to kill me in an earthquake?
not2b 5y ago
The largest number of deaths (42) came from the collapse of a double decker freeway structure in Oakland. It would have been much worse if it weren't for the baseball championship game that got many people watching the game instead of driving home. I was in grad school at UC Berkeley and living in San Francisco at the time. Fortunately I left early that day, since BART was stopped and the Bay Bridge was impassible after the earthquake.
ec109685 5y ago
Or more people would have ran out of the house and gotten hit by falling debris as they fled their house. It’s hard to act rationally in that situation. I went through all the duck and cover drills through school, and when the house started shaking, I bolted out of there during that earthquake.
clsec 5y ago
yeah, I don't think a 10 second warning would have done anything other than get me outside. As it was, I dropped the bag of garbage I was just about to take out, saw the corner of the living room in my second story wood frame apartment in Mountain View move 2 feet in each direction, and tried to get outside. That was unsuccessful because everything in my hallway closet flew out and blocked the front door. So I headed to my bedroom and dove into the closet filled with dirty clothes. I remained there safely until it was over. Which was probably safer than going outside with exploding transformers and sketchy power lines. Someone else commented on wanting to feel a smaller quake. As someone born and raised in CA I used to love feeling earthquakes. I thought they were fun! That was until Loma Prieta, where I honestly thought I was going to die.
- dehrmann 5y ago
  > get me outside This might not even be your safest move.
peter303 5y ago
No smartphones then, though there was a rudimentary internet. I had to ftp earthquake from the USGS because the web had not been invented yet.

xattt 5y ago

It’s an interesting test of people’s situational awareness: what am I near right now that has the potential to kill me in an earthquake?

not2b 5y ago

The largest number of deaths (42) came from the collapse of a double decker freeway structure in Oakland. It would have been much worse if it weren't for the baseball championship game that got many people watching the game instead of driving home. I was in grad school at UC Berkeley and living in San Francisco at the time. Fortunately I left early that day, since BART was stopped and the Bay Bridge was impassible after the earthquake.

ec109685 5y ago

Or more people would have ran out of the house and gotten hit by falling debris as they fled their house. It’s hard to act rationally in that situation. I went through all the duck and cover drills through school, and when the house started shaking, I bolted out of there during that earthquake.

clsec 5y ago

yeah, I don't think a 10 second warning would have done anything other than get me outside. As it was, I dropped the bag of garbage I was just about to take out, saw the corner of the living room in my second story wood frame apartment in Mountain View move 2 feet in each direction, and tried to get outside. That was unsuccessful because everything in my hallway closet flew out and blocked the front door. So I headed to my bedroom and dove into the closet filled with dirty clothes. I remained there safely until it was over. Which was probably safer than going outside with exploding transformers and sketchy power lines. Someone else commented on wanting to feel a smaller quake. As someone born and raised in CA I used to love feeling earthquakes. I thought they were fun! That was until Loma Prieta, where I honestly thought I was going to die.

dehrmann 5y ago
> get me outside This might not even be your safest move.

peter303 5y ago

No smartphones then, though there was a rudimentary internet. I had to ftp earthquake from the USGS because the web had not been invented yet.