AnonymousBy an edhat reader
Is there a way to look up whether a particular building has been retrofitted to be earthquake safe? I work on the 3rd floor of a building and, during yesterday’s quake, it felt like we were swaying back and forth. Not rattling or shaking, just smoothly swaying like kelp in the tides (only analogy I could come up with). Could that have been due to the building being retrofitted in some way? Thanks for any info!
Regarding the fear of the eventual (when not if) huge quake, and preparedness: The best way to reduce fear is to increase preparedness. Understand that the huge quake is supposed to rip up the San Andreas from the Mexican border towards Parkfield. This fault once moved 30 feet, north/south in one earthquake, which was likely over 9.0 and may well have shaken for 10 minutes.!!! This is what this geology is capable of, but it is unlikely that it will behave like this in our lifetimes, not impossible, but highly unlikely. In any huge quake that affects all of Southern California, the need becomes so huge and widespread, such that one cannot reasonably expect much help anytime soon. A few days or a weeks provisions does not suffice. Being prepared to survive for a month or more is prudent. We buried a 300 gallon water tank in the back yard, and secured 100 lbs each of rice and beans among many other food, building, medical and camping equipment. Water rice and beans will keep you alive for a long time though it is no where like the life we are all accustomed to. Forget the luxury of generators, they are for rebuilding, not for surviving. Learn to camp; to cook on an open fire or better yet, a to cook on a fuel efficient, discreet, firehole. Remember, there will be no apps for any of your needs when this happens, it will all count on your knowledge, training and prior provisioning. Educate, provision, maintain the afore mentioned and realize that you will likely survive the very worst situation. Then the fear becomes truly minimal.