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There's nothing quite like an earthquake to make you feel mortal. Growing up in Wellington NZ we were always taught to expect and prepare for the 'big one', it

There's nothing quite like an earthquake to make you feel mortal. Growing up in Wellington NZ we were always taught to expect and prepare for the 'big one', it was just part of life. Sometimes they completely come out of nowhere though, hitting places that are unprepared and often unaware that they are susceptible to seismic risk. This happened in Christchurch NZ in 2011 [1]. I'm not sure about the Valley, but there is nothing scarier than a new fault opening up. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Christchurch_earthquake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Christchurch_earthquake

cmb99 12y ago
How wonderful it must have felt to always be preparing for "the big one." Are you ready for it now? Best wishes.
- cmb99 12y ago
  Such strange down-voting. What did you not understand?
- dredmorbius 12y ago
  Disaster preparedness in the general sense is actually a pretty good idea. The basics in any situation are largely the same. A supply of water, and/or water purification means. A food supply. Shelter, such as a tent or sleeping bag. Sturdy clothes and boots. Flashlights. A radio that doesn't require mains power to operate. Inventorying your possessions, knowing what community resources exist, and having proper insurance also helps. Bdale Garbee made a pretty heart-wrenching presentation (though uplifting overall) of his family's experience with utter devastation which arrived on a few moments' notice. Not an earthquake, but a wildfire, which reduced his Colorado home and possessions to ashes and puddles of molten metal. It's instructive. In other areas, hazards include tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, landslides, fire, tsunami, and civil unrest or war. In pretty much all of these cases, a basic "earthquake kit" is a pretty good start on being prepared and increasing your odds of survival and/or comfort should circumstances turn south.
Widdershin 12y ago
Yep, I can definitely reiterate this experience. Grew up in Christchurch, lived through the quakes (was in the central city for the more devastating Feb quake). I recently moved to Wellington, and it got me thinking for a few. I realized exactly what we lost in the Christchurch earthquake. There is a vibrance and sense of community in Wellington that was blown to the to the four corners of Christchurch when the quakes hit. That said, Christchurch is currently one of the most interesting blank canvases in the world. There are opportunities for entrepreneurship and development that will never exist again (at least until the city is next laid to waste). The same forces that made New Zealand are those that might destroy what we have built. The fault giveth and the fault taketh away.
russell 12y ago
My partner grew up in the Midwest. Even having gone through a 6.5 earthquake, she says that she still prefers earthquakes to tornadoes, although her first few earthquakes scared the bejesus out of her. Now, just like all Californians, the first thing she wants to know is what the USGS says the magnitude is.

cmb99 12y ago

How wonderful it must have felt to always be preparing for "the big one." Are you ready for it now? Best wishes.

cmb99 12y ago
Such strange down-voting. What did you not understand?
dredmorbius 12y ago
Disaster preparedness in the general sense is actually a pretty good idea. The basics in any situation are largely the same. A supply of water, and/or water purification means. A food supply. Shelter, such as a tent or sleeping bag. Sturdy clothes and boots. Flashlights. A radio that doesn't require mains power to operate. Inventorying your possessions, knowing what community resources exist, and having proper insurance also helps. Bdale Garbee made a pretty heart-wrenching presentation (though uplifting overall) of his family's experience with utter devastation which arrived on a few moments' notice. Not an earthquake, but a wildfire, which reduced his Colorado home and possessions to ashes and puddles of molten metal. It's instructive. In other areas, hazards include tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, landslides, fire, tsunami, and civil unrest or war. In pretty much all of these cases, a basic "earthquake kit" is a pretty good start on being prepared and increasing your odds of survival and/or comfort should circumstances turn south.

Widdershin 12y ago

Yep, I can definitely reiterate this experience. Grew up in Christchurch, lived through the quakes (was in the central city for the more devastating Feb quake). I recently moved to Wellington, and it got me thinking for a few. I realized exactly what we lost in the Christchurch earthquake. There is a vibrance and sense of community in Wellington that was blown to the to the four corners of Christchurch when the quakes hit. That said, Christchurch is currently one of the most interesting blank canvases in the world. There are opportunities for entrepreneurship and development that will never exist again (at least until the city is next laid to waste). The same forces that made New Zealand are those that might destroy what we have built. The fault giveth and the fault taketh away.

russell 12y ago

My partner grew up in the Midwest. Even having gone through a 6.5 earthquake, she says that she still prefers earthquakes to tornadoes, although her first few earthquakes scared the bejesus out of her. Now, just like all Californians, the first thing she wants to know is what the USGS says the magnitude is.