I actually am doing pno tonight
I have a girl spending the night so I ran to get her out of the crib and I held her and my dh ran for my dd
I always wondered if my motherly instincts would make me run to my own kids first in a panic but I ran to the closest child and did the " cover and stay in place thing"

Are you guys ok?
I'm pretty close to LaHabra
so I'm still jittery.

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Wow, great instincts! Each child had someone with them, probably couldn't have done any better even if it was a planned drill.

We live in the inland empire, and felt it pretty good. I was sitting on the couch with my dh. With the first little shake we just looked at each other waiting to see if that was it, but then it kept going and I said, "Go hold the tv!" lol We were standing, holding the tv and watching our ceiling fan sway together. XD

Normally I'm up late and feel all those little ones that people sleep through, but this was a pretty good shake for us. Seems like I hear them more than I feel them.

I am literally going to baby proof our home this weekend for our licensing visit in April and have earthquake safety straps for the tv. Guess it couldn't wait for tomorrow, lol!

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Glad you're safe!! I have a lot of friends and family down there! 5+ is a pretty good shake!!

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See, this scares the ----- outa me.

We know when hurricanes are coming.

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yep...

but hurricanes freak me out too....

The cold seems pretty nice in comparison.

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Well they are working on a 4 second warning system.
Do you think that will help us?
Other states have tornado and hurricane warnings and our pets are suppose to warn us by acting weird but my pets act weird all the time so that won't work for us

You should see what the earthquake did to my bedroom!
clothes everywhere ... but the rest of the house is so clean

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Me too and that is why I get nervous when anyone in my family goes to California for some reason and I plan to never go there. BUT, my mom went once for a vacation and she was fine in California cause while she was gone there was a tornado in her area of Ohio!!!

Laurel

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I heard from someone that more people die and more houses are destroyed in hurricanes and tornados than earthquakes.
I am not sure how true it is.
I love California!
Beaches, mountains, movie stars, good people, good weather and Mickey Mouse!

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Yeah, I am in Florida and not too crazy about the hurricanes either. We know enough in advance that we could possibly leave but so often it is supposed to come but never does (or is downgraded to a tropical storm) so who can take off of work for something that 'might' happen? Plus you'd have to leave pretty far in advance or else you'd just get stuck in all the exodus traffic.

I was born and raised in Ohio so we had tornados and I think they were more scary to me than hurricanes because there was no warning. My mom had her house completely destroyed (not the same time as the California time in post above). They were just lucky as my dad had dug a tornado cellar type of thing for them and they got into it soon enough. They also had warning sirens which saved their lives also but where I lived in Ohio didn't.

Then I heard that Ohio and especially Tennessee (which I always thought was a safe place) will probably get a really big earthquake someday as they are the New Madrid fault line.

I don't think anyplace is safe. Where are you at?

Laurel

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I'm not saying California isn't appealing (although I've never been there) but some day it is gonna get the big one I'm afraid. Otherwise, I'd love to visit.

I'm in Florida and we did get a big hurricane with many deaths (Andrew). I didn't live here then but heard that there hadn't been a hurricane here in a long time so the regulations got lax as far as building codes, etc. Now in a place like Haiti who seems to get them every year, then I'd say that is a bad area for them and wouldn't live there. Also, they are a poor country and probably can't afford the safer construction/hurricane grade windows, etc. So I think it would be hard to make a blanket statement as far as deaths as there are many variables with hurricanes. Maybe not so much with tornados but, even then, there are variables like if the area has warning sirens or not.

Hurricane Katrina passed through my neighborhood before moving onto Louisana but it was just getting started and we just got weather compared to a bad thunderstorm. Then Wilma hit us pretty good. Maybe a category 2/3, can't remember. That one was a little scary. We lost electric for a week, a backyard full of trees down. Almost every telephone pole snapped (they are cement here). We were pretty lucky but my friend a few streets away had someone's patio roof blow off and lodge into her roof. Then when the hurricane switched directions like they do it came out and left a gaping hole with rain pouring in. She said if the patio roof would have stayed there it would have been fine as it plugged up the hole it made.

It was expensive but little by little year by year we finally have all hurricane windows and doors. It is gonna be soooo nice not to have to board up. What a pain!

Laurel

P.S. Hey wait, we have Mickey Mouse too!!! And what is this mountain you speak of? We are completely flat. There is a small grade by our neighborhood quickie mart and I have to explain to the kiddies that it is kind of like a hill as they only see snow and hills in books!

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I didn't feel it here... I am pretty far away. I've lived in California most my life and have felt 2 earthquakes, and by felt I mean.... Feeling something, and asking my husband... was that an earthquake? Did you feel anything? He didn't. I had to look online to confirm it.

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I'm in northern Minnesota ( about 100 miles south of the Canadian border)

The only thing we get around here is cold and snow.
It rains too but not so much we can't enjoy the season.
Fall, Spring and Summer each take equal turns.

Central and southern MN have their fair share of tornados/severe weather but we are a very dense timber/forest area so it's kind of pocketed from anything too bad. Thankfully.

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seriosuly we just had another one as I was writing this!
omg
I can quickly say that the mountains that I was talking about are the san gabriel mountains, sierras, now i got to go
I don't want to be sitting by this fireplace in case of aftershock

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CO-
NEGATIVE on the hurricanes and the earthquakes (although we can sometimes feel a very slight shake from say NM or other places)

Tornadoes are rare here unless you're far east.

We just get fires n floods.

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Earthquakes scare the crap out of me! We've been having quite a few in the last couple of years here in the Midwest but obviously nothing compared to the life endangering ones on the west coast. Ours are just little baby rumbles.... like a big truck is passing by.

We get tornadoes that are deadly and destructive but we usually know days ahead of time when to expect dangerous weather. I can't imagine just hanging out and then suddenly a wild earthquake appears!

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I'll take our snow, thanks.

My in-laws live in Southern Ca, and every time I hear about an earthquake I get a little nervous, because the news we usually get is the fact that there was one- then I have to search for details on severity.

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I've lived in CA 99% of my life and have been in a lot of little quakes and one big quake (Loma Prieta, 1989) and must say I would still choose to live here over the Midwest or east. Tornados, hurricanes, blizzards all have a season and happen every year but the severity varies. Earthquakes happen all the time and we just don't feel them but we have a big one that does actual structure damage once every 20+ years. This one, while it was a shaker, was only a 5.1! The one in Japan a few years back was 9.2? It actually caused the earth's rotation to change. That was a catastrophic quake. Luckily we don't rely on nuclear energy much here and our plants are all inactive. I think we would be less likely to have our gov't lie to us about the severity of nuclear fallout!

I just stocked up on water bottles at Costco today. That's probably my one area I slack in. My kids always sneak them out of my emergency supplies!

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Really, folks!

How many people die every year in an earthquake in CA? NONE How many people die every year in the mid-west from tornadoes? How much property damage is caused every year from tornadoes and hurricanes? A LOT!

The last earthquake that anybody died in CA was the Northridge earthquake in January of 1994. 54 people died in that quake. That's just over 20 years ago.

You have a greater chance of dying walking across the street. (No I do not have statistics to back that up.)

We make it a fun thing, with lots of laughing and joking so the kids don't panic. Last night we had the grandkids come downstairs for awhile. I made them some chocolate milk and we laughed how it was like a Disneyland ride.

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Oh yea, well we had Mickey Mouse first and he's my bud ( I seriously know one of the cast members that plays Mickey
I am with Sharlan
We joke and play around too but still thinking in my mind " is this going to get worse ?"
We go on with life .. In fact I'm at Knotts Berry Farm right now
So yea we just learn to live with them but they do rattle your nerves when they don't happen very often

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I have never had one rattle my nerves yet. I remember the Sylmar earthquake of 71. 58 died in that one. My bed rolled from one side of the room to the other. I thought it was fun.

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I grew up in SoCal. I experienced the 1971 San Fernando (Sylmar) earthquake which was a 6.6

Both my brothers still live in the area, and both felt last night's quake. One is in Culver City, and the other in Arcadia. Each about 25 miles from the epicenter. Glad there wasn't too much damage from this one!

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Since I have a tankless water heater I opted for one of these last week from Walmart. Augason Farms 55 Gallon Emergency Water Storage Kit

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Augason-Fa...e-Kit/21776414




and a Solar Cube to go along with my gas generator. I am a freak when it comes to this stuff.

Solar e Power Cube 1500

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That's great Michael! Thank you! We have an old style w/h and my dh always reminds me that can be used in an emergency as well as filling the tub ASAP. We have ice and extra water in the garage fridge too. But I would love to store water that way. That's going to be the biggest problem. We also have a generator and gas BBQ. LOL we also have lots of canned beans, tomatoes, soups, etc.

I agree Laurel. Many people died in the Loma Prieta (7.0) too, I don't remember how many but several from the bridge collapsing. So even a 7.0 didn't cause us to shelter in place or lose power/water, etc.

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I'll stay right where I'm at.

According to the USGS, 204 people have died in California earthquakes since 1971.

According to the MN Department of Natural Resources, only 70 people have died from blizzards. About 1/3 of those were heart attacks from shoveling snow.

I do agree though that earthquakes aren't as prevalent as most people think but that "big one" that is supposedly coming freaks me out enough that I don't think I could ever live in Cali.

I also think that although there are some good systems in place, early warning is just not early enough for me to be comfortable with...kwim?


I AM glad that everyone is safe though and not nearly as freaked out as I would have been.

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Oh my gosh.

You California people are making me nervous just reading about it.

Laurel

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Plus with hurricanes we try to minimize the risk in our minds too because it helps with the stress. Plus the worst one I experienced was a 2 or 3. I was only scared at one point when I heard some wind in the attic. I had the feeling that it was possible that the roof could lift off. It only lasted a minute or two but whew! A 5 totally would scare me.

Some parts are kinda cool though. I had to close for a whole week and it was in October so it wasn't horribly hot without air conditioning. It felt like we were on a camping trip cause we spent a lot of time clearing tree limbs from our yard. With no working dryer we hung wet things on a downed large tree limb. We stacked all the branches, etc. out in front of the house for the garbage man. Since I had nothing better to do I made a sign that said "Free Firewood". They cancelled Halloween that year. We had all our power lines snap in two and that was the best thing ever as before that we kept having power problems. Come to find out it was because the equipment was old and they were too cheap to replace it. Thank you Hurricane Wilma!

Laurel

Edited to add: And it was really cool that with all the poles down out of town electric companies were here to help. It felt really good to see all the help on short notice. There were trucks from Pennsylvania and other places and I think maybe even Canada. Can't remember now.

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Never mind, I found it. I'd forgotten where 1 or 2 people died in little quakes.

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I guess it all boils down to how close you are to the epicenter.
We are 10 miles away and we had a little damage.
Nothing major, just some glasses knocked off some shelves.

The most important thing to remember is to be prepared.
At my last licensing visit she said I was so prepared for any emergency that she wanted me to go speak at the next licensing orientation but public speaking is more scary than earthquakes so I said I couldn't ( they do orientations online now I think)
Any ways Michael I love your water tank and generator!
Are you an a fellow extreme prepper?

We have 3 huge red back packs that are our "go bags" that have the usual binder with all the kids emergency info/pictures
but in there is also 3 days worth of food,water,medicine,toiletries,and misc. other things but also I put some coloring books and crayons, play dough etc. in case I ended up in some tent city or shelter with some or all of the dck's
In addition I have 10 large Rubbermaid totes with enough food,water,and clothes, blankets, and activities for 2 months .

I really want a generator, that's on my list to get next.
We will always have earthquakes but as far as the "big one?"
I think that it is very exaggerated and I am not that concerned.
and if we all fall into the ocean, well my mom just bought a yacht and I guess I am prepared for that too!

Love my California!
I think I will go to the beach today

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My family thinks I'm a prepper .

We don't have a solar powered thingy or a big barrel for water but we have the required 3 days worth of food and water for evacuations or shelter-in-place for 8 kids and 4 adults. We also have extra food and water for 4 adults to last for 10 more days that's separate. We each have "go-bags" with small first-aid kits and necessities (4 adult bags and 2 kid bags) and a large rolling bin with other emergency supplies (can-opener, more flashlights, wind-up radio, toilet paper etc.). It's just smart. Oh and we have guns and rifles and stock up on ammo. I'm not scared about a zombie apocalypse or the end of the world, I'm scared of the crazies that believe in that stuff and get crazy when something happens. My husband is afraid if looters that break into businesses and homes to steal things.

And no ... I didn't feel any of the earthquakes. Not .. even .. one . I'm in Ventura County so I should have felt at least one right? I havn't felt any of the earthquakes in the last few weeks. IDK ???

BTW Michael ... my DH and I are uber-jealous of your solar cube. I showed him the specs and he was in awe ... all he said was "Bas-@$$". It is now on our wish-list.

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I didn't feel it, but then again, I'm near Fresno.

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You live close enough we could pool our resources. haha

I bought that cube as a Christmas present for myself at Costco. It was only $700. I could also use it on a camping trip or something other than a disaster.

It's not that earthquakes kill lots of people, they don't. It's the aftermath that can kill. It's a disaster that destroys things above ground and below ground. We live in a state where we're separated from the rest if the country by the desert and Death Valley. Getting resources and relief from the rest of the country may take weeks or even months. It would make for a grim situation for million of people in Los Angeles. At least we are on the ocean where supplies can be brought in but the ocean can also bring tsunamis. Such is California. That is why we have such incredible topography.

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We thought about how cool the cube was BECAUSE we could also use it for camping too. We frequently go to Pismo and camp out either at the campgrounds but sometimes also on the dunes. This would work great to power our generator and air pressure machine .

And you're right, we can be each others emergency evacuation relocation sites . We have a truck and fold-able trailer to haul our stuff and quads so if worse comes to worse we can grab our go-bags and head to your place (damaged roads). We were actually just talking yesterday about needing something to haul our emergency supplies if we couldn't drive in the truck, something that our quads could haul. We were leaning towards large racks to strap our emergency supplies on.

Typing this stuff out DOES make us sound like crazy preppers now that I read it back

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To be honest, I've been storing since the Northridge earthquake and Y2k. Not because Y2k would happen but because it could happen just like an earthquake. Better to be safe then sorry right? I still have 2 backpacks filled with supplies at the ready. The portable water pump filters included are amazing. You can literally drop a hose in raw sewage and pump out clean water. I know TMI, but I am hard core when it comes to survival.

Tell you what. Have your husband come and pick up the cube to use on your camping trip. Let me know how it works for you and then you can decide if you want to buy one. You've been a loyal Daycare.com member for years. Most of my stuff never gets used anyway.

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what do you have for ( I'm seriously too tired to think of the right words)
bathroom facilities
also I just bought a portable cell phone charger that is suppose to last for weeks with just one charge...just thought that would be good to go in your "go bags" so you can have a way to charge your phone before you can set up your generator
after this earthquake, our cell phones did work for calling out but texting, email, and facebook worked

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Told the hubby, he's all for it . Boys and their toys .

I don't know what Michael has but we have a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat that attaches to the top. You put a heavy duty bag in it first of course so you can do your "heavy doody" *snicker snicker chortle*

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ok, gotta get one of those,
I will do an online search because I went to home depot yesterday to get more quake hold and didn't see anything like that.
thanks

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This is like the one that I have. Sometimes you can just get the toilet seat by itself and buy the bucket and lid from any home improvement store. Or buy the one like in the link and buy a lid from Home Depot. They're pretty standard. Then you can store more emergency supplies inside the bucket when you're not using it.

SOS has great prices on their stuff. That's where I get my supplies from. Really reasonable and they ship.

http://www.sosproducts.com/product-p/33129.htm

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Didn't alot of people die in that big earthquake in SF back in 90/91 I think it was?

I remember going through there in June of 91 and the freeway still being a mess!

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really not sure and I don't have time to do the research..
but I can in the evening or weekend.

this is what was told to me right after the Whittier /Narrows quake when our water cooler got knocked off it's base and we had a lot of other minor damage. ( we also lived in a downstairs apt. and I seriously pictured a refigerater falling my head! )

it was my mil and I had 4 kids of my own under the age of 5 and I was scared out of my mind.
we have having so many aftershocks and for some of them we don't even react, we just keep talking or whatever but there is always that thought in the back of your mind." will this get bigger?"
One thing I do know about the SF earthquake is that it was part of a documentary and SF is a lot safer now because of the things they learned.. new building codes etc. but I will get back to you later.

I have never said a "blanket statement "that more people die in other disasters because I don't have the info to back it up.. I just said that it was told to me.

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The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake killed 63 people throughout Northern California, injured 3,757 and left some 3,000–12,000 people homeless.

Most were kill on the elevated highway when the above lanes fell on the lower lanes crushing cars and people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Lo...eta_earthquake

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My daughter has a jack rat (read:mutt) that's her ESD .. And that dog can sense asthma attacks, weather, she's amazing. We had a bad storm he other night she predicted and the weather guy gave all clear... Radar looked okay... And she started her storm warning..and son of a gun if a few minutes later a rouge cell didn't pop up and kaboooooooom bannnnnnng ... I just looked at her and said "thanks Roxie " lol

I don't know if she can predict earthquakes but when my daughter was little she could predict illness...

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wow!
that is awesome!
dogs are suppose to sense earthquakes ( I am told) but mine don't

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I've been through a few very very minor earthquakes in my life..

Hurricanes... And tornadoes.... More than my fair share... It's an equal trade between living out here in the country.. And he weather here....

I've survived several very fatal tornadoes... And seen a lot of horrors there and during Katrina and Rita and all the ones before and still to come....

My kids have seen horrors.,, the boy doesn't remember... But my daughter does... Floating bodies... Just too gruesome to name after Katrina...

It helps me and the kids to always be prepared... To network with other families who know what can and does happen... And talk through our fears and preparation...

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I was just talking about this with my friend who's dog ran up to him just before the last earthquake shook last Friday. I remember also reading about a cat at hospital or hospice was allowed to roam the halls. When it would enter a room and jump up on the bed, the staff knew the person had less then two hours to live. They had time to call relatives so they could be there at the person's passing. Usually it's dogs but the cat story was amazing.

Here's the story http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...sing-home.html

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have you built your bunker yet?

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Don't care what others think. It's called "peace of mind" and everyone does it at their own level.

I remember the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Our town, Playa del Rey, had no power but we had a battery UPS. I had the lights on and we were making cappuccino. When I went down to the steer to chat with locals, it was almost embarrassing. The town was pitch black but our place was lit up like a watchtower. I remember thinking how fortunate I was that I spent all that money on a battery backup.

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