The recent domino effect of earthquakes in Haiti, the Midwest, Chile, and right here in good ole gold country have sparked renewed interest in the inevitable Big One expected to hit the west coast sooner rather than later. (Actually, if you’re looking for some truly scary statistics, click here to see the earthquakes around the world from the past 30 days; I stopped counting after 200. Better yet, in the past week there have been 1185 earthquakes in the U.S. alone, most of them located from Alaska down the length of the west coast.)
Most non-Californians see this state as one of the few places left with golden opportunities. With its breathtaking coastline and redwood forests to celebrity-soaked beaches and national parks, California is truly a beautiful state that has everything from sun, palm trees and surfing to mountains, snow and skiing. The ugly reality lying miles below the fun stuff we enjoy is the San Andreas Fault line.Running through nearly the entire state, the line itself is merely miles from my house. Tremors occur every day, though we rarely feel them. However, we’ve had two around the 4.0 range in the past two to three months.
The fact is that I felt more earthquakes in Reading, PA than I have here in earthquake prone California, which brings me to my point.
Let's face it. There’s no completely safe place to live. The northeast has debilitating blizzards. The southeast has hurricanes. And let’s not forget the twisters of the Midwest and south. Earthquakes happen all over the U.S. as do wildfires and rainstorms. Even Alaska and Hawaii have earthquakes and are prone to tsunamis.
So, are we afraid of the big one—a supposed 9.0+ magnitude quake expected to hit California within the next 30 years? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared, but we can’t live in fear. Perhaps the question isn’t so much about why we choose to live in an area prone to natural disasters, but whether or not we’re prepared to deal with the consequences.
It doesn’t matter how much food and water we have stockpiled along with emergency supplies (though it certainly helps). My biggest concern is living every day to the fullest and squeezing the most out of every last second until my body forces my eyes shut each night. As the horrors of Haiti and Chile have shown, everything can be taken away in mere seconds when we least expect it.
What’s the lesson? Love with your whole heart today for who knows what tomorrow will bring.
Sources:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7832219/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2010-03-01-chile-quake-lessons_N.htm?se=yahoorefer
San Andreas Fault Map – David K. Lynch
