Just finished a 5.8 earthquake here in SoCal.
Epicenter reported to be within 20 miles.
Lasted 20-30 seconds.
The walls of my bldg moved like they were dancing.
Couple of things fell off the shelf, otherwise no damage.
Gotta love that chicken wire construction.
The sun is shining, life moves on.
Lew
That is good for you. What was it like at the epicenter?
I'll turn down my stereo. Sorry about that Lew.
I was on Shemya in Alaska back in 1976 when there was a 7.6 with it's epicenter not that far away.
Let me tell you, when you see steel reinforced concrete driveways ripple like someone droped a stone in water, you get a sense of just how much power is in one of those quakes.
As they used to say, 'It's not nice to mess with Mother Nature'.
Very sobering indeed....
A friend of mine keeps telling me of all the small prices he has to pay to live in "paradise." Earthquakes; forest fires galore; mud slides; smog.
But, hey, the weather's nice when it isn't raining.
I went through the San Fernando quake (1969? 7.2), in a woodframe house only a few miles from the epicenter.
It really is impressive to hear the roar and rumble and cracking noises, then feel the floor move up and down in rhythmic waves.
Makes you feel how small we are, as individuals.
And remember, "Mother Nature bats last".
When I lived in Downey, CA I survived the Whittier earthquake which was over 6. When I got home there was broken glass all over the place and a few gallons of salt water splashed out of the aquarium and the medicine cabinet threw out all its contents anything glass broke. Some people lost their TV. Since then I prefer plastic over glass, bolt bookcases to the wall, and always know where my shoes are before going to bed. A flashlight is helpful too. Some folks left California after that quake, yet is was only "medium size."
For all practical purposes, if you are within 20 miles, you're at the epicenter.
After all, it was felt in San Diego (90-100 miles) and reportedly in Las Vegas (300 mile range).
It has been down graded to a 5.4 and now falls into the "garden variety" quake for SoCal, and there is no serious damage reported YET.
Some broken glass, some stuff on the floor, that's about it.
Beats the hell out of a flood, snow storms, etc.
You know, all that stuff I left Ohio to escape.
Lew
Great to hear you're OK!
... snip
Yeah, that's just the natural stuff. Then you get the other fun stuff like high housing prices, high taxes, nanny-state regulations, and a state that "knows" pretty much every substance known to man is "known to cause cancer". California is a beautiful place, especially the Coastal Highway, I know why people want to live there. The downsides though are just too daunting.
I had laid down for my 40 winks and didn't feel a thing. Nothing out of place here.
FYI. One of the local flatlander towns nearby has a baseball stadium called the Epicenter. Yup the local team is called the
Rancho Cucamonga . . . . . . . QUAKES! Ta-da. [rim shot]
And yes, there is a statue of Jack Benny out front.
puff puff, jo4hn
We need more downsides.
If there were enough, maybe 10-15nmillion would leave.
Lew
You do know that Jack Benny couldn't make it as a comedian today?
He was neither loud, nor stupid.
Nor profane enough ...
"Swingman" < wrote
Or angry enough.
These days the "your money or your life" gag would have resulted in a channel surf.
Lew.. Being a native Californian, I'm glad it was only an earthquake..
Seeing your heading, I was afraid that your table saw or lathe was out of balance...
BTW: According to our local news, they felt tremors in Mexicali and TJ, also..
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
You have to realize that California is long - about as long as a quarter of the width of the continental. lower 48, United States, which isn't exactly a tiny country itself. And when 0.001% of a state with as many different environments has an "event" - the "news" - which is mainly (and in some case, exclusively) in business to get your attention and hold it so they can sell advertising time - keeps showing and screaming about the worst case of the relatively minor situation.
In 1989, when the San Francisco Bay Area had the Loma Prieta Quake that caused a deck of ONE of the bridges in the Bay to fall, and maybe a mile and a half to 2 miles of a double deck freeway section to collapse, and some condos built on bay fill leaned badly and some caught on fire - the impression was that northern California (KahLeeFORNeeyaah) was devasated - AND on FIRE! I live less that 20 miles from the epicenter of that quake. I lost a bud vase - that's it. Phones didn't work for several days and we were without electricity for an additional day - but so what.
Now compare the California coastline, Yosemite, SF Bay, any of the So. Cal beaches - on their worst day - with say DC or NY or Atlanta or Dallas or New Orleans, or Chicago, or Boston - in either mid winter or mid summer. So every once in a while the ground does Rock n Roll, or there's a mudslide in an area where houses should never have been built in the first place, or some houses in the middle of a kindling pile go poof in a firestorm. Then put the number of people affected in the context of a population that's about 1/10th the whole nation's population - and you might be able to understand the appeal of this state.
Oh, and if you have access to Federal Census Data, look for the census tracts with the highest per capita or household income. There are a couple of "OLD MONEY" census tracts with higher incomes, but out here, it's New Money - the kind people EARN that explains the high per household income.\
Here's another indicator to note. Here in Silly Cone Valley aka Silicon Valley aka Santa Clara County, one quarter of one percent sales tax comes to about $100,000,000. That's 40 Billion in sales taxable sales so you can imagine what the number is if you include wholesale, non sales taxable sales.
Let me put it another way. I can be at the beach/coast in 30 to 45 minutes, at Monterey Bay in an hour and fifteen minutes, in Tahoe in three hours, in wine country in 2 hours, in SF in 45 minutes. If I want to stand in a stand of Giant Sequoias I can, in about an hour. Yosemite - maybe 3 1/2 hours.
And if I want to see "stars" - well I just wedge a 1" mortising chisel in a mortise, get my chin in line with it's exit path and pull - real hard. DAMHIKT ;)
charlie b
When it isn't raining? Lets see it hasn't rained since May and it won't again until October. But the Quake was fun yesterday. Rock & Roll.
Lew, I'm 20 miles too. 20 miles to the east, Rancho Cucamonga. Quake was fun and then it was over.
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