Tue, Apr 18 2006

1906 Earthquake

The 1906 quake is on many Californians' minds this morning, though hardly any of us alive now went through it. Many of us have experienced other significant earthquakes. We would recognize that familiar heaving and creaking, the disorientation and dizziness from the swaying, the mixed sounds of things falling and breaking and some people screaming as they scramble for a place of safety. The 1906 quake must have been particularly frightening because it took place in darkness when most people were still in bed, or at least still groggy from sleep.

The fires that followed the 1906 earthquake were at least as devastating as the quake itself. Looting was rampant, and there are many stories of people being shot when they refused to stop taking things from stores and homes.

We like to think that we'd all be better off now in the event of another large tremor. After all, we have the ease of flying in supplies and personnel, generators for power and many other conveniences that could be gathered and made use of in an emergency. But we also have many more people in the greater Bay Area than there were in 1906. Gas pipelines, refineries and large industrial facilities carry enormous potential for explosions and fire, including toxic fires. It's not a bad idea to take a look around at where we live, work, commute and send kids to school. If another large quake hit at any particular time of the day or night, what would be our first major issues? When one lives on, or near, major fault zones, considering the possibilities isn't paranoia. It's just prudent, especially if it leads to changes that improve our chances for survival and comfort following the shaking.

posted at: 08:20 | category: /Miscellaneous | link to this entry