Fear about earthquakes

[Thundergod]

Hi,

do you have fear about earthquakes?
Fear about what happen then?
Collaps of skycscrapers or other buildings?
Destroying of subway and light rail?

[pesto]

Personally, I don't even think about them. I've been through about 4 major ones in various parts of the world and probably 20 smaller ones. Even the major ones (LA and the Bay Area), do so little damage in the US that they are not something to be concerned about.

As I recall, the total deaths from earthquakes in LA is less than the deaths from dams breaking and, of course, is not even noticeable compared to car and bicycle accidents, pool and boating accidents, etc. The really scary quakes are mostly in Asia or Latin America where building standards are often lax.

[klamedia]

lol!! regulations. pff!

[PinkFloyd]

There was a small earthquake a couple of months ago that woke me up in the morning. They can be a bit scary sometimes but I'm not worried about my house collapsing or any major damage resulting from them.

[Kenny]

Lived here all my life (practically), been through all the major ones, I've never been scared. I find them exciting. The strongest, of course, was the Northridge earthquake of 1994, I was a wee teen.

[soup or man]

Not at all. Matter of fact, I've been watching videos of the earthquake in Japan last year and despite it being a horrifying event, made me understand that LA could be hit with a strong earthquake and have very little fatalities.

Still, even though skyscrapers are the safest places to be during an earthquake as they are meant to sway, I still wouldn't want to be in one.



But this is what's really scary: liquefaction.

[Kenny]

Well, I don't know that we wont have many fatalities. I think if we did have a shaker that size we might. We still have a lot of unretrofitted masonry buildings in the poorer areas of the city. Japan has practically done away with those.

I think of the old financial district of downtown (now most buildings are used as "sweat shops"), Pico Union, Westlake, Echo park, Silverlake, Koreatown, Filipinotown etc. and of course south LA; those would be the biggest hit.

[soup or man]

How do you figure? If a building built in the early 20th Century is still standing after all the earthquakes that have hit in the past, there is a pretty good chance it'll stand during the next one.

[Kenny]

We haven't been hit with the magnitude earthqualkes that have hit Japan. In reference to your comment..

I've been watching videos of the earthquake in Japan last year and despite it being a horrifying event, made me understand that LA could be hit with a strong earthquake and have very little fatalities.

7.3 has been the strongest one in the past 50 years and it was centered in Landers. And if you look at the residential damage of the '94 event, it was mostly to masonry buildings. We haven't had a direct hit yet of a magnitude 7 or greater, nor have we had an 8 in the Southern California region,..yet.

[ChrisJudd83]

La is long overdue for the "big one" since the city averages a high magnitude earth quake every 150 years and the last one was in 1857

[pesto]

Not sure that that would be considered "long overdue" in geologic terms. But it will come so time.

[Thundergod]

I would life in every day fear about an earthquake and the outcome

[Kenny]

Originally Posted by Thundergod

I would life in every day fear about an earthquake and the outcome

You're generally ok in Los Angeles.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by Thundergod

I would life in every day fear about an earthquake and the outcome

For 2 days. Then you would focus on the beach and the women.

btw, I think this condition could be treated at a marijuana clinic.

[Kenny]

Originally Posted by pesto

For 2 days. Then you would focus on the beach and the women.

btw, I think this condition could be treated at a marijuana clinic.

I think he means that it would be a daily preocupation of his, worrying about a shaker. Are you telling him to smoke everyday so he wont worry about it?