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LAQuake [message #403652] Sun, 17 May 2009 22:47 Go to next message
BlackSwan
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Registered: January 2009
Location: SoCal
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A moderate earthquake occurred at 8:39:36 PM (PDT) on Sunday, May 17, 2009.
The magnitude 5.0 event occurred 2 km (1 miles) E of Lennox, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 14 km ( 8 miles).

Barbara B,
Did you feel it?
Re: LAQuake [message #403674 is a reply to message #403652] Mon, 18 May 2009 00:36 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Barbara Boehmer
Messages: 9077
Registered: November 2002
Location: California, USA
Senior Member
BlackSwan wrote on Sun, 17 May 2009 20:47
A moderate earthquake occurred at 8:39:36 PM (PDT) on Sunday, May 17, 2009.
The magnitude 5.0 event occurred 2 km (1 miles) E of Lennox, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 14 km ( 8 miles).

Barbara B,
Did you feel it?


Yes, I felt it. I was sitting at my desk in my living room at the time. The fans were on inside, the living room windows were open, and the sprinklers were running in the front yard, so it was a bit noisy and I am a little hard of hearing, but I still heard the rumbling and felt the shaking. But it was mild and didn't last very long. I looked at the hanging lamp and it wasn't even swaying. I debated whether to get up and go to the doorway and decided to wait and see if it shook harder and it stopped. It was mild enough I didn't even check for damage. I figure I will do that in the daylight tomorrow morning. I just made sure all the cats were O.K., then turned on the news and went to the USGS website and filled out their "Did you feel it?" form. I have been watching KCAL 9.1 news off and on ever since. It sounds like it has been downgraded to 4.7. I don't know why, but the initial magnitude estimates always seem to be slightly higher than the final results after all the data is in. It sounds like the only damage and injuries were from a few broken windows and people stepping on the broken glass in areas closer to the epicenter. At least that's all I've heard. There have been a few minor aftershocks, but I didn't feel those.

How was it where you are?





Re: LAQuake [message #403731 is a reply to message #403674] Mon, 18 May 2009 06:40 Go to previous messageGo to next message
rleishman
Messages: 3728
Registered: October 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Senior Member
Why the HECK do people live in Calafornia? You guys have a dirty big target painted on your backs and are just daring whatever deity controls devastating earthquakes to have its best shot.

I guess there's dangers everywhere - and the Hollywood machine makes us all hyper-aware of those on the US West coast - but still, y'gotta be nervous.... Isn't it a matter of 'when' rather than 'if' for the "big-one"?
Re: LAQuake [message #403778 is a reply to message #403731] Mon, 18 May 2009 10:41 Go to previous messageGo to next message
BlackSwan
Messages: 26766
Registered: January 2009
Location: SoCal
Senior Member
rleishman wrote on Mon, 18 May 2009 04:40

but still, y'gotta be nervous.... Isn't it a matter of 'when' rather than 'if' for the "big-one"?


SoCal is conservatively 100 miles from coast going East & 100 mile from Mexico border going North; or 10,000+ square miles.
A bad quake might affect a 5 mile by 5 mile square; 25 square miles
That is 0.25% of the area will be impacted.

The Big One will likely be on the San Andreas fault 70+ miles from me.

http://www.del-mar-guide.com/dog-beach.html

I can see the beach & palm trees from my house.
I walk on that beach & by those palm trees daily.
I'll take my chances with the Big One to live in Paradise!
Re: LAQuake [message #403792 is a reply to message #403731] Mon, 18 May 2009 13:43 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Barbara Boehmer
Messages: 9077
Registered: November 2002
Location: California, USA
Senior Member
Quote:

Why the HECK do people live in Calafornia?



I was born and raised in Southern California, so it was natural to seek employment nearby. Then when I finally bought a house, I had to compromise between closeness to work and an area where property was affordable. Now that I am retired, the only things keeping me here are that it would be a major hassle to sell this house, buy another house, and move, and I don't know where I want to go that I can afford. There are a few other complications. For example, my retirement plan only offers half-decent medical insurance coverage in Southern California. There are also some appealing places, like Canada, that are not currently accepting retiree immigrants. You would think they would want retirees to come and spend their money, but I suspect the drain on the public health system by a bunch of elderly people may outweigh the money spent.

Quote:

Isn't it a matter of 'when' rather than 'if' for the "big-one"?


Yes, it is a matter of when the big one hits, which may or may not be in my lifetime. If it is in my lifetime, it might or might not be close enough to affect my area. If it does hit my area hard, there might or might not be damage, and I have earthquake insurance. If you take cover when it starts, it reduces the chance of injury. All of the little quakes are good practice for the big one. Whenever an earthquake strikes, everyone should know what to do and what not to do. I don't know that the likelihood of being injured in a large earthquake here is any greater than the likelihood of being injured in a tornado in Kansas or a flood in Louisiana or a volcanic erruption on Hawaii. Every place has its own natural hazards.





Re: LAQuake [message #403854 is a reply to message #403792] Tue, 19 May 2009 04:04 Go to previous messageGo to next message
rleishman
Messages: 3728
Registered: October 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Senior Member
Fair enough - I suppose its better to understand the hazards and precautions required in your comfort zone rather than have a false sense of security in some other hazardous place.

But still, if the big one gets LA or SF, Katrina could pale in comparison.

Australians tend to freak out a bit at the scale of foreign disasters. Our recent bushfires killed nearly 300 people and represent the greatest peacetime loss of life in our country.

We have trouble processing things like Katrina (up to 2500 or so if you count the missing) - and I cannot even comprehend the 2004 Indonesian Tsunami (283,000 dead).

With so many people involved, these places really seem like a good place not to be.
Re: LAQuake [message #404368 is a reply to message #403731] Thu, 21 May 2009 08:54 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Mahesh Rajendran
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Location: oracleDocoVille
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>>Why the HECK do people live in Calafornia?
Good Beer!!!
Re: LAQuake [message #404482 is a reply to message #404368] Thu, 21 May 2009 23:35 Go to previous messageGo to next message
rleishman
Messages: 3728
Registered: October 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Senior Member
You sure we're talking about the same Calafornia?

I reckon beer would TASTE pretty good in that climate, but if they produce anything that tastes anything like reasonable then they're keeping it to themselves.
Re: LAQuake [message #404574 is a reply to message #404482] Fri, 22 May 2009 05:54 Go to previous message
Mahesh Rajendran
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Registered: March 2002
Location: oracleDocoVille
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Pretty more than reasonable.
Some of the best in country and too many to list.
Stone,Russian River, Sierra Nevada,Dales, Bear Republic, North Coast and Anchor to name a few among the top notch.
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