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In Case of Emergency
Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of the deadly earthquake in Northridge, California, one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. I wasn’t living in Los Angeles at the time, but I heard stories from friends about diving under tables when the ground shook. I did go through the San Francisco earthquake and I’ll never forget the feeling of having barely escaped real peril. Given these circumstances, you’d think I’d have an emergency plan with supplies stowed, just in case, but I don’t. Are you prepared for the big one?
Artwork by Sarah Illenberger
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In 2011 we experienced an earthquake of 5.8 magnitude here in Virginia. It freaked a lot of people out at work and we pretty much did the wrong thing and ran out our building which we had just moved into. There had been no training on what to do in case of an earthquake and I pretty much forgot everything I was taught living in Japan in the case of an earthquake. It took a lot of people by surprise as most believe only California has earthquakes. I’ve felt them in Arizona, California, Japan, and even Bosnia. And I don’t have an emergency kit put together. I keep telling myself to do so, but I don’t get around to it. Maybe this year!
FEMA suggests that if you’re in bed during an earthquake, stay put (unless you’re under a fixture that could fall on you).
The “big one” here would be a tornado and there’s a limit to what you can do. I’m reasonably prepared for a few days of no power (having gone through an ice storm a few years ago that left me without electrical power for almost a week)–some bottled water, plenty of food, etc. If atmospheric conditions are conducive to severe weather, I do make sure my phone is charged and I have my water pitcher filled. But in terms of a hit by a tornado–well, I just hope the universe directs its path away from my (and other) homes.
About two months ago, the tornado sirens did sound (I’ve got one down the block, so no chance of my not hearing it). The local TV stations had been broadcasting the outbreak, so I knew that this was serious. I quickly scooped up the cat and went to my most interior room (a powder room) with my phone. Fortunately, no damaging winds occurred here, but a town about 30 miles away suffered through two tornadoes from the same system (that may have been why the sirens went off).
So, I’m set for an inconvenience (no power).
I’ve wondered what I’d grab first. Pet and cell phone are 2 good ones.
I was living in L.A. when the earthquake struck in the San Francisco area during the World Series. The damage in the Marina district was enough to inspire me to put together an emergency kit.
Those supplies were there for me when I was living in Chatsworth (in the backyard of Northridge) in 1994. I was only a couple miles from the epicenter of Northridge, and my place got yellow-tagged. Buildings on my block were going up in flames all day. I still have some faint scars from stuff falling on me. All of my grandparents china that I had inherited was destroyed, along with a lot of my furniture. That first night afterward, I slept in my car. I managed to make my way out of the city and to a friend’s house in Ventura County for a few weeks, until my place was repaired. The phone service was restored pretty quickly (within a couple of days), my water was restore within a week, but it took three weeks to get the gas back to heat my water and to operate my stove.
The experience taught me that I am far stronger than I ever thought I was. I was single at the time, and there were a lot of moments when I really wanted someone to lean on so that I could just break down and cry for a little while. But I didn’t have that, so I had to be strong for myself. Then I started listening to how the event affected others around me, and I began to realize that I was very lucky. I had been injured, but not seriously. I had lost a lot of things, even things that were very important to me, but I realized that objects aren’t that important. And even though I had wanted to lean on someone else, I found that I didn’t HAVE to, and besides, I had a lot of great people around me that were willing to hear me in my moments of despair, as long as I was willing to hear them in their moments. I was NOT weak – I had faced some of the worst that Mother Nature had to offer, and I had survived as a stronger person.
It was a life-changing experience. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but the lessons I learned were some of the most valueable of my life. My life today – and the way I see myself now – would be very different if I had not gone through that.
Stacey, that is an amazing story. I’m so inspired by it. Thank you.