I live in Central Virginia, and that's the biggest earthquake I can ever recall experiencing in these parts - 5.9 on the Richter scale. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...nia-dc-region/2011/08/23/gIQAMwvEZJ_blog.html That's it - I'm moving to California!!!
Well 5.9 isn't that big a deal... I use to live near a busy intersection and the whole house shook more than that everytime a fully loaded tanker hit the drain cover in the middle of the street at 70 Km/h.
To that I say; welcome to the other side. 5.9 is pretty good; not great, but enough scare away bigger events. We get small ones out here all the time, and some pretty good ones too: it's like living on a container that says, "Flamable". You get used to it, but most importantly, you learn what not to do to keep yourself from getting hurt: Don't run When inside, stand in a doorway Stay away from windows Carry a pair of sneakers and gloves in the car: comfort and duarbilty if you're needed for rescue work, or you have to walk over rubble to get home. Maintain a supply of canned food and water at home: you can drink the juice in the can. Store no food that needs water to make and no salty stuff. You'll be fine. What I really like about earthquakes though, is that it keeps one reminded that politics is only stupid stuff that has no meaning.
Mother Nature certainly has a way of reminding people how puny they are. What made this trembler so unusual is that these are once in a century events for us here in Virginia - I think the last one of this magnitude occurred back in 1897. This was certainly nothing compared to what you all deal with out in San Francisco. One of my buddies at work lived in Northridge during the big one back in the '90s - the only comparable natural disasters we experience out here are hurricanes and tornadoes. In fact, we're preparing for a big tropical storm (Irene) headed our way this weekend....
Ya'know, you're right. No matter where you live in the US, it's sorta "pick your poison". Missouri gets earthquakes. I've a theory about earthquakes that leans towards the same reasonining for hurricanes: earthquakes seem to always come around the season changes. I'm told that it's a good theory; but there's nothing really to measure it by. I've a friend that was at the series game in SF in 1989, and when that quake got started, everybody was on their feet whoopin' it up. Then they got knocked off their feet and their attitude changed. I was in the east bay at the time. It wasn't as bad as it looked on TV, but the Bay Area really came together for it. As I say; look up earthquake safety and supplies and stay ready: it could be the new normal. We just had a 3,6'er last night night: cheery little quake . . .
FEMA denies aid to Virginia county at the epicenter of rare earthquake... Political aftershocks over denial of quake aid to Virginia October 10, 2011 | Seven weeks after a rare 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted the East Coast, political aftershocks are reverberating after FEMA denied aid to the Virginia county at the epicenter of the temblor.
