Earthquakes (Oakland, Cypress: relocation, tornado, building)

[Tony from Europe]

No,I don't have phobia but that's play of life and dead.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by Tony from Europe

Now I'm scared to go in San Francisco.

Don't be scared! Like the others have said, you can barely feel 99% of them... and call me crazy, but I think the small ones are kinda fun. Plus, you learn the difference between a "little shaker" and panic time! I've only been really panicked maybe 3 times - the 1989 Loma Prieta, one in Las Vegas (7.0 centered in 29 Palms) where I was on the 30-something floor of a hotel, and briefly during that 5.7 we had last October. That Vegas one was actually the scariest, even though it was only a 5.5-ish by the time it reached us. Ever see what a TALL building does in an earthquake? It sways, which is absolutely terrifying when you're at the top. Seriously, I thought we were going to crumble to the ground...

So if you're scared of San Francisco, you may as well avoid the entire West Coast - LOL.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by Tony from Europe

No,I don't have phobia but that's play of life and dead.

I've lived here for 25 years... I'm still very much alive, and haven't known ANYONE who died in an earthquake. Heck, I don't even know anyone related to someone who died in a quake! I dunno, but those seem like pretty good odds to me.

[Tony from Europe]

ok,then I'm go to San Francisco and CA against 10 years.

[bellalunatic]

Look at it this way...New York City is on a major faultline as well...sheesh they haven't had a big one since never...SF has a history of earthquakes of course but also very few non reinforced masonry buildings....you can't build or remodel here without serious earthquake retrofitting type requirements...that said...I would rather ride and earthquake in a built for it place like SF than a city such as NYC that is not built for it at all...ok yeah sure but you're in the midwest...so I dunno if this will help?! hope it was at least.

[ImRandy]

Plus with New York the ground shaking will be more severe because the ground isn't as fractured as in California. All the fractures dissipate energy. A much smaller earthquake will do a lot more damage in New York based on that alone. Add in what bellalunatic was describing and you're much better off here.

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by ImRandy

Exposed? It was well known. There are maps all over the place showing the original coastline of San Francisco. Anything here now that wasn't then, is fill.

The average person was not well aware. I didn't claim it was covered up by the government or anything. Relax.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by mj88

You people are hilarious referring to living on a fault as "exciting" !!!!! I'd probably be so freaked even in the tiniest quake that I'd have a heart attack because of intense fright!

No, you wouldn't -- you probably wouldn't even realize it. Like now, when you have a rumble around you, do you look for a truck?

I live on a road with speed bumps and near a car tow lot... and big tow trucks hauling cars bounce over the speed bump in front of my house, and the house rattles. Anything less than a five feels just like that.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

No, you wouldn't -- you probably wouldn't even realize it. Like now, when you have a rumble around you, do you look for a truck?

I live on a road with speed bumps and near a car tow lot... and big tow trucks hauling cars bounce over the speed bump in front of my house, and the house rattles. Anything less than a five feels just like that.

I also wanted to add -- I am freaked out about quakes -- they shake me up rather good. Probably because the 89 quake hit home -- my husband should have been on the Cypress when it fell, but that day he was using rubbing alcohol to clean tape heads, got it on his fingers, didn't wash his hands, stuck his finger in his eye and burned his cornea. He drove himself to Kaiser Oakland emergency at 1PM. That day we also learned that alcohol still is active after it's dried!

We had a nice swarm of 3.4s around Thanksgiving near the Claremont Hotel -- the first didn't shake me up, but they kept happening over a period of some days and that did freak me out.

I just didn't want you to think I was being flippant -- earthquakes are serious, and we need to be prepared for them, but they are a fact of life around here.

[mj88]

Oh no, I did not think you were being flippant...and what good luck (your husband in the '89 quake). What exactly is the Cypress? Is that the bridge to Oakland?

I think the reason I was so paranoid was because of all the articles I read about "the big one" hitting SF -- but then a few days ago I saw another article indicating it may hit more southern CA. But then again I guess you never know.