Fast Fiction

This week’s LA Insight comes from afsheen who is curious about earthquakes.

“As a new transplant to Southern California, I’m very intrigued by earthquakes. Having never experienced one, I have no idea what they’re like—or how to prepare (or if I really need to).”

1) What sort of earthquake preparations do most people have?

I have a box where I keep a first aid kit, some extra food, some extra dog food, a couple of flashlights (which always seem to get taken from the box and never replaced) and a battery powered radio. I try to keep at least a case of drinking water on hand, but I’ve been failing miserably at that in the past few months. The hot water heater is braced. I try to close my cabinets and closets tightly. I keep at least a quarter tank of gas in my car at all times. I always have a little cash on hand.

2) Have you ever lived though a big quake?

Yes.

3) Which ones?

The Northridge ‘94 was not the biggest quake I’ve been in, but certainly the one with the worst damage. My personal losses were limited to a pipe that fed the hot water heater (The Man fixed that late in the day), two dishes, a wine glass and my job (the building I worked in burned down and I was dismissed a few weeks after helping to salvage the company files and set up temporary offices).

I was also in several larger ones when I lived in Humboldt County. The biggest was something like a 7.1 (August 1991 and there was a swarm of 6s before and after) although the epicenter was about 40miles away from where I was. It was the first time I was in a quake that made me duck under a table. I was in a burrito place by campus and the big plate glass windows were not just vibrating, but undulating. They didn’t break though.

4) Does anybody really have earthquake insurance?

My neighbors do.

5) Do you?

No.

6) How bad would things have to get for my apartment to come crashing into the ground?

Hmm. I don’t know what sort of geological formations are below your building and what sort of structure you’re in. Most of us found that those apartments that had the garages at ground level and apartments above didn’t do well. Do you live in one of those? I’ve always been skittish about living in the flats. I prefer bedrock.

But as Northridge proved, you don’t have to be close (Santa Monica was hit really hard) and you don’t have to be in an old building.

When we first moved to LA, we had a little apartment in Sherman Oaks (Moorpark and Woodman). It was a rather new building (‘89). We moved 18 days before the quake to Silverlake. The building was yellow tagged after the quake and had to be completely gutted before the residents could move back in, and it took over a year.

7) If I don’t anchor the bookcases to the wall, are they really going to fall over and kill me in my sleep?

That’s another hard call. I don’t have anything on my walls in my bedroom and I’m grateful for it. In the ‘94 quake most stuff on shelves came off. Even in small temblors I’ve had stuff fall off the walls. I’ve seen people’s houses after quakes where the bookcases have come down, and trust me, it’s not a mess you want. (Of course none of my bookcases are currently anchored.)

8) Are you fearful, anticipating, or indifferent to coming quakes?

I am anticipating them. I can’t say that I was scared by the ‘94 one, but certainly alarmed. I took it very seriously. I had a geology class my freshman year of college and it was pretty much about earthquakes and the professor said something like, “if the power goes out, you know it’s the big one.” So when the ‘94 started, I just thought it was another San Andreas like Big Bear and I sat up in bed to ride it out. But when the power went out and the transformers started blowing up ... um, that was the sign that this was something big. In all honesty, I’m fascinated by them. If there is any natural disaster that I’m scared of, I think it’s tornados. And I’ve been in those.