The big quake in Nepal that has caused so much death, destruction, and disruption, is a potent reminder to those of us living on or near the 'Ring of Fire' that we are vulnerable. What we see in faraway corners of the World reflected on our TV screens has meaning beyond the obvious human sympathy.
In the past week we've had a few 3-plus sized quakes in the 'Greater LA Area', and those little jolts are like pinpricks against our calloused sensibilities (we've had a long time since our last 'big one' to forget and grow dismissive of the danger.)
It is only a matter of time before either LA or San Francisco have our number come up on the wheel of misfortune that circles the world's big fault zones, and we have another Big Quake. Chances are, thanks to higher standards of building codes, the damage here won't be as complete and devastating as seen in Nepal, or in Haiti before that. And chances are also good that our big one will not be as BIG as that 9.5 Quake in Japan - and it had better not be because nothing is built here to withstand that large a jolt.
As a final ramble through my thoughts on this subject, I'd like to ponder why we have such a fascination with these sorts of horrific happenings. There have been a number of films made about earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and tornadoes - there is a new one called 'San Andreas' due out this Friday in fact.
I find this disturbing, especially since I feel the attraction of this kind of entertainment too, and that fact depresses me, but I guess what's happening is we are all 'Whistling Past The Graveyard' in hopes that wallowing in the worst case scenarios will magically prevent them. Did the residents living near Fukushima fail to watch enough disaster flicks?
In the past week we've had a few 3-plus sized quakes in the 'Greater LA Area', and those little jolts are like pinpricks against our calloused sensibilities (we've had a long time since our last 'big one' to forget and grow dismissive of the danger.)
It is only a matter of time before either LA or San Francisco have our number come up on the wheel of misfortune that circles the world's big fault zones, and we have another Big Quake. Chances are, thanks to higher standards of building codes, the damage here won't be as complete and devastating as seen in Nepal, or in Haiti before that. And chances are also good that our big one will not be as BIG as that 9.5 Quake in Japan - and it had better not be because nothing is built here to withstand that large a jolt.
As a final ramble through my thoughts on this subject, I'd like to ponder why we have such a fascination with these sorts of horrific happenings. There have been a number of films made about earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and tornadoes - there is a new one called 'San Andreas' due out this Friday in fact.
I find this disturbing, especially since I feel the attraction of this kind of entertainment too, and that fact depresses me, but I guess what's happening is we are all 'Whistling Past The Graveyard' in hopes that wallowing in the worst case scenarios will magically prevent them. Did the residents living near Fukushima fail to watch enough disaster flicks?
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