:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::

:: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 ::

:: One thing I don't Miss about L.A. ::

... are the earthquakes. I was lounging around yesterday and I just happened to switch over to CNN right when they cut to breaking news about an earthquake hitting Los Angeles. My initial reaction was concern for my parents, the friends I have back there, whether Dodger Stadium was still standing, and if my favorite In 'n Out was undamaged (not necessarily in that order).

Then I heard the newscaster say something like "if you're just joining us, an earthquake measuring a 5.8 on the Richter Scale has hit. The Epicenter is located roughly 35 miles east of Downtown...

Wait, a 5.8? That's it?

Remember the movie "Independence Day" where those flying saucers of death shake the ground as they take position over major cities? Will Smith wakes up during this and asks "that an earthquake?" and his girlfriend says "go back to sleep. It's not even a 5 pointer."

That's not an inaccurate portrayal of how native Angelenos respond to quakes. Believe it or not, I've managed to sleep through my share of some serious quakes. I've been around some friends when one hit and while the initial reaction is mild consternation, after the first three or four seconds, when we figure out that it's not that bad we simply ride it out and carry on once it ends.

Still, I called my parents and a few friends, just make absolutely sure they were okay. My mom, who tends to overreact to just about anything, sounded calm and composed and said nothing broke or fell in the house. My friend Pedro was probably the closest, working in Orange County about fifteen miles away and said he was taken for a ride. But like most natives, he sat through it relatively calmly and went back to work.

A high-speed police pursuit has a better chance of disrupting life in Los Angeles than an earthquake that's less than a 6.0.

Labels: disasters, earthquake, los angeles

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 10:34 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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