Been in California almost four months … seen a lot of things already … experienced a new culture and way of life … and then yesterday the earth moved underneath me.
I knew before moving here that LA suffered from earthquakes but it doesn’t mean you can ever be ready for one. So here is a brief description of the events of yesterday morning in our household.
- 11:42:10 a.m. – Carter and I are rough-housing on the bed; actually he is biting the crap out of me
- 11:42:15 a.m. – Earthquake begins; I hear a rumbling noise which I think is caused by the construction of our parking garage next door
- 11:42:16 a.m. – Seems like some serious rumbling
- 11:42:17 a.m. – Bed begins to move across the floor which doesn’t seem all that normal unless I am now in a bad science fiction movie
- 11:42:18 a.m. – Bottles start to clang together in the bathroom as the condo begins to shake
- 11:42:19 a.m. – I realize this is an earthquake
- 11:42:20 a.m. – I experience the sensation of walking across the room while the floor/building is moving around and I don’t like this feeling
- 11:42:21 a.m. – Carter begins running around the house crying
- 11:42:22 a.m. – Pictures are beginning to slant sideways on the wall
- 11:42:23 a.m. – I vividly begin asking myself what in the world I am supposed to do
- 11:42:24 a.m. – How much longer is this going to take place?
- 11:42:25 a.m. – The two suspended lights over the breakfast bar are swaying back and forth like a little kid took a whack at them just for fun
- 11:42:26 a.m. – Honestly, how much longer is this going to keep happening?
- 11:42:27 a.m. – Run over to the media console and grab some kind of expensive pottery of H’s before it falls on the floor; realize we live on the 7th floor and that seems a long way to fall
- 11:42:28 a.m. – It’s official, I don’t like the idea or feeling of earthquakes
- 11:42:29 a.m. – Moving stops; Carter continues to cry
- 11:42:30 a.m. – Contemplate moving out of California to some place in the world where the ground below me doesn’t move
For a lot of people here in California it was no big deal. I guess if you have experienced them before or if you like roller coasters I can see their point. However, I don’t get it.
When H and I were driving out here from Chicago we came within a half-mile of getting slammed by a tornado. We could see the sky darkening; we turned on the radio to hear the warnings; it began to rain and hail; we pulled into a truck stop where everyone was told to get inside as they shut off the pumps; televisions reported where the storm was.
Back in Chicago some times the weather person told you to expect a thunderstorm. Occasionally his or her prediction was right and lightening and thunder would soon follow.
When I lived in Canada sometimes it got very cold and snow would begin to fall. Just like the thunderstorms in Chicago a meteorologist would sometimes tell you this was going to happen before it did.
So what’s my point? Simple really …
- I’m pretty good with earth events that make sense and can usually be predicted by some kind of specialist
- It’s not normal for the earth to move beneath me and cause buildings to shake violently from side to side. Okay, maybe it is normal in a scientific sense but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Later yesterday afternoon I began to do some reading and learned all about “The Big One”. You know, the earthquake to end all earthquakes here in California. I can’t imagine what it will be like to ride that bad boy out, but I do know this: I sure as hell better not be living here when it happens.
I may have got the better of parking enforcement the other day, but mother nature kicked my behind yesterday.
It was a big deal for me…and quite scary. First big one for me…I even freaked out during a small 4.0….so ..yeah…SCARY.
Philly doesn’t have earthquakes.
http://la.metblogs.com/2008/07/29/judge-judy-quake-awesome/#comment-52166
Haha I saw that clip this morning – I love how the plaintiff and defendant just hang around while everyone else bolts.
Hey Guys
What an experiance, hope you don’t go through to many of them
Be careful
Talk to you later
Michael and I were thinking of you and H when we heard of the earthquake. All we have to deal with here in Canada is bad lighting and thunder storms. Hope everything is well. Say hi to H and Carter.
Sharon
[...] The Chino Hills Earthquake. [...]
Congrats! You made it through what we like to our little California Initiation Rite. Now, you can say you are a Californian, if you want to.
True, it’s a little like a fraternity hazing by Mother Nature, but hey, it really wasn’t so bad, was it? Them tornadoes, why, they last for minutes! You’re cowering inside your house for hours! This temblor was over in 15 seconds.
Matter of fact, I LIKE the idea that they can’t be predicted. Then you don’t spend hours fretting and worrying about the doom-laden approach, like in a hurricane. Either your house falls down in a quake, or it doesn’t (99% of the time, it doesn’t.) Then, it’s over in 10 seconds. Except for the aftershocks, which don’t even happen sometimes.
You’ll really be an old-timer when you start comparing one quake to another…”Why this is nothing, I remember the Chino Hills quake, back in Aught Seven, right after I moved to LA…”
We had one quite a few years ago here in the (generally safe) Midwest. Living in Chicago at the time I was watching Bill Kurtis on the evening news when I felt my apartment begin to rock back and forth, and things began rattling in the fridge and in the cabinets. Everyone on the set was clearly on the verge of panic, but as I held on to the arms of my loveseat, not knowing what in particular to do, I continued watching the Bill Kurtis’ reaction as he tried to, in a split second:
ascertain why the studio was shaking
why the cameras were moving around
overcome his initial look of surprise tinged with a little fear realizing it was an earthquake. I then watched as he regained his composure and maintaining a calm professional demeanor whilst publicly announcing, in as amazed a voice as I’ve ever heard a “Talking Head” use, that it seemed we were experiencing an earthquake….in Chicago!
My fear was probably diminished by actually watching a newman try to comprehend and deal with an earthquake. Usually they stay so cool and calm, kind of like a test pilot does and he did hold his own.
Scott M, at least with a tornado you can generally get a sense of when & where, then hunker down in a basement with windup flashlights & radios until the sirens stop! Unless, of course, one lives in a trailer; then all bets are off!
Earthquake newscast from 1987. Thought you’d enjoy this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7sYB1uxt6o
Rich: Haha that is a great clip! Love Letterman, had a chance to see a taping last year and would love to do it again. I sure hope the earthquake coverage gets better than that from here on out
Sharon and Michael: Hope to see you over the holidays and thanks for reading!
Elsie: Thanks for reading!
Scott: Haha pretty funny – not sure if I am ready to start comparing one quake to another but we will see.
Angela: Great to hear from you!