Weblog by A. Elizabeth Graves. iPhone photography and links to science-y and foodie topics.
The sky was busy and interesting, with strange clouds and orange sunlight this morning. Busy, but quiet. I still didn’t expect our phones to all go off like fire alarms, warning us that our lives were in danger and to head for high ground if we were near the coast. A large earthquake far up the coast had the potential to send a big, very fast wave our way; they were giving us about an hour’s warning.
It was a relief that the warning was called off, that no one was harmed (by waves, at least) and that the threat passed quickly. Also, it was fun to catch up with colleagues for a while, as we were all too amped up to focus on our work for a bit.
We have earthquakes frequently, and most of them are uninteresting in all the right ways, but this was a reminder that land can be BUSY.
…as San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Services cheerfully reminded me today via text message. 😀
The Department of Emergency Services texts me more often than my closest friends do by volume, which tells you about the kind of times we are living in.
Yes, I remember EXACTLY where I was when it occurred: near a very large, floor-to-ceiling glass wall just outside of a classroom on the main campus of City College of San Francisco. My reflection VISIBLY distorted as the glass bent. My classmates inside looked up; I made a rolling wave gesture as they started to exit the room; and then there was a POP and the power went out.
As someone who has grown up with benign earthquakes, all I could think was: “Now I don’t have to go to calculus class!”
I wasn’t used to people DYING in local earthquakes – fatalities were uncommon in our area in my lifetime. Earthquakes broke old brick walls that hadn’t properly been reinforced, but little else. And while this particular quake was long and rolling where I was standing, it didn’t feel like a big deal at the time. It took a while for the news to come in, and some of it wasn’t plausible…
Anyway: this is a public service announcement to remind you to have an earthquake kit refreshed and ready to use. Admittedly, at this point in time, this kit may also include your wildfire GO BAG, but should also contain 72 hours’ worth of food and water. And some extra masks to protect you from the pandemic and/or PM2.5 wildfire smoke particles. And two tiny women to help you soothe, summon, and manage Mothra.
Whether you’re just starting out or a preparedness pro, gathering your emergency supplies is easy. A good rule of thumb is to have supplies for about 3 days, or 72 hours. You’ll be surprised at how much you already have.
From the National Weather Service (updated for new record in Santa Cruz, up from 102)
Today we had record-breaking (oppressive) heat (shown above and here); unhealthy air from wildfire smoke; the usual COVID-19 safety warnings; and a few small, local earthquakes. Of course we did.
The air outside is finally cooling off, but by air I really mean smoke. Cooling smoke. Gahhhhh.
