The March 28 5.1 earthquake centered in La Habra, California was the largest quake in Southern California in many years. Followed by hundreds of lesser aftershocks, it was also preceded by a foreshock of 3.1 magnitude. For each increment of 1, an earthquake feels 10 times stronger on the Richter scale. So, while a 4.0 feels like this:
Noticeable shaking of indoor objects and rattling noises. Felt by most people in the affected area. Slightly felt outside. Generally causes none to minimal damage. Moderate to significant damage very unlikely. Some objects may fall off shelves or be knocked over. - Wikipedia
A 5.1 feels like this:
Can cause damage of varying severity to poorly constructed buildings. At most, none to slight damage to all other buildings. Felt by everyone. Casualties range from none to a few. - Wikipedia
This is very basic information, but the point is that the difference between a mild and moderate earthquake is quite substantial.
Earthquakes come in many forms. There's the sudden, jolting kind that makes you think something has hit your house. There's the rocking kind that makes you feel like the ground is shaking. Then there's the kind like we had on Friday March 28 at 9:09 p.m., the rolling variety that sort of feels like when you're on a cruise ship and the water is choppy. And then it's shaking a little. And then it stops, and then the rolling starts again. And again.
There are all kinds of natural disasters that can devastate and destroy homes and lives. There are hurricanes, tornadoes, snowstorms, torrential rainstorms, mudslides, avalanches and so on. The thing about earthquakes that's a bit more disturbing than most others is that there is no way of knowing when they'll happen.
Here's what happens when you're in an earthquake:
- One minute, you're eating Cambodian food with five other people in a restaurant, the next minute you're all looking at each other and saying "earthquake!" Because that's the first thing anyone says. And even though you know you're supposed to dive under a table or stand in a doorway, you just sit there waiting for it to stop, because really, this can't be THE earthquake, can it? Stupid, stupid. But that's exactly what we did.
For a guide to putting together an emergency preparedness kit, click here.
Previously published on Empty House Full Mind