Weighing whether to stay (West Valley City, Ogden: credit, home, earthquake)
Salt Lake City areaSalt Lake County - Davis County - Weber County
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True, there is no way of knowing when an earthquake is going to strike. You've got more warning of an upcoming tornado than you do of an earthquake, but all you can do in a tornado warning really is save your own life by hiding out somewhere safe. But along the southern and eastern coats, you know there will be hurricanes every year, and the idea of boarding up windows and trying to evacuate your city along with hundreds of thousands of other people every few years sounds like something I wouldn't want to do.
Boarding up a home and driving to Tennessee makes good visuals for the tv crew, but reality is that if you're in a post-Andrew built house (big building code changes after that) with impact glass windows that don't require boards or shutters and in flood zone X, it's more 'hide from the wind' by sheltering in place than 'run from the water'. (And if you do end up leaving town and can't find an inland hotel room or friend's coach to crash on nearby, common recommendation is to drive toward Disneyworld because Orlando is oversupplied with hotel rooms and far enough inland that the winds should have calmed down a fair amount at that point if the storm is a central Florida event. If the theme parks remain open, I know people who have actually made a Magic Kingdom trip out of a hurricane evacuation because you can only stare at the weather channel in a hotel room for so long)
And 95% of the tropical cyclones are of the moderate variety where you can have a tropical storm warning posted and the Friday high school football slate still goes off as scheduled.
Before we moved to Florida, we spent a couple years living close to the New Madrid fault, where the quakes of 1811-12 caused the Mississippi River to flow backward and destroyed homes as far away as St. Louis, Missouri. It was a little bit freaky when the insurance agent asked us if we wanted the earthquake rider for our renter's policy, but otherwise pretty seismically uneventful, and that's a far geologically riskier place than Salt Lake City, and I wouldn't avoid Utah over earthquake concerns. (We are rather scratching it off the retirement possibilities list unless the state gets serious about air quality in the next ten years)
It was a little bit freaky when the insurance agent asked us if we wanted the earthquake rider for our renter's policy, but otherwise pretty seismically uneventful, and that's a far geologically riskier place than Salt Lake City, and I wouldn't avoid Utah over earthquake concerns. (We are rather scratching it off the retirement possibilities list unless the state gets serious about air quality in the next ten years)
If I were thinking about moving here, the air quality issues would definitely me more of a concern to be that the possibility of an earthquake. I'm definitely not happy with how bad our air can get during the winter months, but I've learned to live with it. No city is perfect; you just have to measure the pros vs the cons.
I agree completely with Katzpur - but would like to note that "learning to live with it" is not always up to the individual. I have known two different parties - one an individual and other a couple - who were residents of SLC. They had bought condos to retire in here - so appreciated what SLC had to offer. At some point, their health suffered too much from the bad air quality which led to a doctor's recommendation to not spend winter here. Moving away and finding the health problems resolved by themselves then led to their moving away altogether. So, it is not always up to the individual to learn to live with it - and even those who do might run into issues that necessitate their departure at a later time.
I agree completely with Katzpur - but would like to note that "learning to live with it" is not always up to the individual. I have known two different parties - one an individual and other a couple - who were residents of SLC. They had bought condos to retire in here - so appreciated what SLC had to offer. At some point, their health suffered too much from the bad air quality which led to a doctor's recommendation to not spend winter here. Moving away and finding the health problems resolved by themselves then led to their moving away altogether. So, it is not always up to the individual to learn to live with it - and even those who do might run into issues that necessitate their departure at a later time.
Very true. If a person's health is actually going to be affected, it seems to me there really is not choice to be made. You move. Period. For many people, though, such as my mom and nephew, the air really didn't impact their health all that much. In the end, it's a personal decision.
Boarding up a home and driving to Tennessee makes good visuals for the tv crew, but reality is that if you're in a post-Andrew built house (big building code changes after that) with impact glass windows that don't require boards or shutters and in flood zone X, it's more 'hide from the wind' by sheltering in place than 'run from the water'. (And if you do end up leaving town and can't find an inland hotel room or friend's coach to crash on nearby, common recommendation is to drive toward Disneyworld because Orlando is oversupplied with hotel rooms and far enough inland that the winds should have calmed down a fair amount at that point if the storm is a central Florida event. If the theme parks remain open, I know people who have actually made a Magic Kingdom trip out of a hurricane evacuation because you can only stare at the weather channel in a hotel room for so long)
And 95% of the tropical cyclones are of the moderate variety where you can have a tropical storm warning posted and the Friday high school football slate still goes off as scheduled.
Before we moved to Florida, we spent a couple years living close to the New Madrid fault, where the quakes of 1811-12 caused the Mississippi River to flow backward and destroyed homes as far away as St. Louis, Missouri. It was a little bit freaky when the insurance agent asked us if we wanted the earthquake rider for our renter's policy, but otherwise pretty seismically uneventful, and that's a far geologically riskier place than Salt Lake City, and I wouldn't avoid Utah over earthquake concerns. (We are rather scratching it off the retirement possibilities list unless the state gets serious about air quality in the next ten years)
Not sure it's riskier than SLC. We also have a fault line running almost right down middle of the valley (N -> S). SLC is built on a dried lake bead and when we have "the big one" half of the valley will be under 10+ feet of water especially the multi billion dollar airport they are building. Hopefully an earthquake would not knock out I80 and I15 in both directions as those are the only ways out of the valley unless you're gonna dirt bike/atv over the wasatch crest.
I could only imagine what SL valley would be like with 1M people trapped with limited water and food noway out and no power. Most of the preppers/hoarders would lose their canning/water supplies held in the basements. Fortunately there would be as many guns as people to protect us.
I agree completely with Katzpur - but would like to note that "learning to live with it" is not always up to the individual. I have known two different parties - one an individual and other a couple - who were residents of SLC. They had bought condos to retire in here - so appreciated what SLC had to offer. At some point, their health suffered too much from the bad air quality which led to a doctor's recommendation to not spend winter here. Moving away and finding the health problems resolved by themselves then led to their moving away altogether. So, it is not always up to the individual to learn to live with it - and even those who do might run into issues that necessitate their departure at a later time.
This could apply to a lot of circumstances. I live where I do in Oklahoma since the house was cheap. And I like that its small (715 sf, half not used) and unlike an apartment sharing no walls with strangers. A friend who'd also moved here said the storms go around you here, and in ten years they have. Lots of noise and barking dogs, but mostly rain. (and down the road, lots of mowing). I'm used to it and would find Socal hard to put up with now. But among all the considerations one of the greatest was cost. My propery tax is very low and cost of living here is as well. Just about any other place is going to put a huge strain on finances.
Compromises happen. I still don't have a way to get out to places. But when I did out in Socal, didn't have the money to more then look with an absolute budget. But smog mattered more than anything and now after ten years of air you can't see, can't imagine trying to live with it again. And having the space around me too, its something which makes me feel comfortable. I don't want to share thin apartment walls with anyone.
My son really wanted and I think still wants me to go and live with him in Utah. Beyond the religion thing, as I'm pagan and would still not hide it, there's personality, and a house not easily shared ones. Do I get a little room to myself? Would there be any room for MY pets with all of theirs? Thus, I chose again to stay here in OK. Not to mention my needing to have the space I have be MINE. Nobody touches it. And no religion stuff period. They already failed on that last part.
I wonder how many people see mom as well, OLD, when Mom doesn't feel that way. Old is when you can't prepare your food and have to take what you get (or just flat out refuse it, more like me). Old is a transition, not a race. It should be a time for those who were always caught in the merry go round to find the stuff they never had time for. It should be a journey thru, not an assumption that you reached the end of the road.
I got 'retired' early, thanks to an doctor who didn't believe in side effects and a med which made them worse. But while people were worried if I was on my own if I'd be okay, I LOVE it. It took some transition, but having the time to do all the stuff I love, and not being surrounded by people works fine. Like Katspur and others, I had to weigh the value of choices. I think I would have come to looking up just what I have eventually, maybe somewhere else like it did here recently.
Like it or not, life IS a big compromise, and the weighing of choices to find the path which checks off the most, and even questioning if that is the ones which still matter now, in a different time and place is a part of living independently from some sort of absolute rule.
The scary part which makes so many not want to face those realities is you have to break away from the known and secure and search deeper to see if their old assmumtions have been changed by time. And maybe then collide with others who are 'helping' who cannot accept that each of us has our own likes and things avoided.
I find in general that I want less in things, speaking just of the sorts of things you need. I am happy with a couple of blankets to keep me warm, and don't need a batch more. I'm sure my dil would try to thow it all away since it wasn't shiny new. But I can out stubborn pretty good. And my comfort spot about where and how I do things is already settling into place. I've let go of some ideas, since they sound like a lot of work for what I can find easier. Some like shiny new. I like some age and simplicity and the familiar.
Dad and I used to see who could out stubborn the other, and its still there. While my son never met my dad, he got all the stubborn in overflowing with all the little triggers just waiting. Life could get veryyyy interesting eventually....
My idea of a place for ME is also one where I pick what I see. I also hate shiny cherry painted rooms. Give me dusky dark and gloomy. And I hate white paint. Think the Addams family....
I don't get why when people get older others tend to notice the grumbly moments and miss the good ones. I've been on disability before 'age' replaced it and the unwanted 'help' didn't last long then either.
I too like dark, like a cave. As soon as the office is empty, out go the lights. Compared to LA though, it doesn't look like it's going to be to hard to find somewhat secluded places in N. UT, even in the basin. Google maps looks "busy" in the south basin, but when you look at street view, there are open spaces, and roads with trees. And I'm assuming that people will drive out to see you in these "remote" places, because they won't in LA.
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katzpur
These places are all about 30-minutes "remote" of downtown Salt Lake City.
True!
We used to live in Southern California and everything was a two-hour drive away ... Except for the beach, 5 minutes!
That stopped after LAX confiscated our property in Playa del Rey, so we left California!
Here in Utah, almost everything is within 15 minutes for me. Even when I want to go flying, it is not more than 60 minutes away! I still miss the beach, even after 40+ years!
My geigist neighbor was the one who told me about the big thump and liquefaction in the valley. Liquefaction seems more dangerous to me but JMO.
I don't get it.
If the person explained to you the concept of liquefaction, then why do you continually tell people the East Bench is safe?
The absolute worst places to be in an SL Valley earthquake are on the East Bench and in West Valley City.
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