Sunday, November 04, 2007
Emergency: This Temblor is Not a Test
by Shanon Corbin, [X]press Online
My eyes slowly wander around the room as the thought crosses my mind: Is this tremor, this shaking actually happening right now? It is real -- a 5.6 magnitude earthquake happening at 8:16 p.m. on a Tuesday night in San Francisco. I quickly thought to myself as I was lying in bed, “Find your pants and stand in the doorway.” As I made my way out of bed, the small earthquake stopped. I asked myself, “What can I do in case this happens again? Am I ready for the next big earthquake -- especially if I am in San Francisco?”
I remember being eight years old and sitting somewhere in my family’s home when -- exactly at 5:04 p.m. on October 17 -- the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area. I did not know what was happening except that a once-talked-about textbook example and a now-put-into-practice emergency drill was now real. In that brief two minutes, my family members were shaken -- one actually thought it was the Rapture. Ha-ha. No, when that happens, you will hear a horn, silly.
Experiencing what just happened, I think to myself that people are never prepared for such events, because until something actually happens, the moment itself is hypothetical. If another earthquake -- or any natural disaster – struck, I would ideally like to take,my Ipod and its charger, an external hard drive, my digital SLR camera, important documents, and a some pictures with me. But that is materialistic. Realistically, the items I should have ready in the next natural disaster are clothing, a pack of mints and credit card. People can always anticipate disaster, but until it strikes, the event remains at the back of our mind. In case of any emergency, try to stay calm and go from there.
My eyes slowly wander around the room as the thought crosses my mind: Is this tremor, this shaking actually happening right now? It is real -- a 5.6 magnitude earthquake happening at 8:16 p.m. on a Tuesday night in San Francisco. I quickly thought to myself as I was lying in bed, “Find your pants and stand in the doorway.” As I made my way out of bed, the small earthquake stopped. I asked myself, “What can I do in case this happens again? Am I ready for the next big earthquake -- especially if I am in San Francisco?”
I remember being eight years old and sitting somewhere in my family’s home when -- exactly at 5:04 p.m. on October 17 -- the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area. I did not know what was happening except that a once-talked-about textbook example and a now-put-into-practice emergency drill was now real. In that brief two minutes, my family members were shaken -- one actually thought it was the Rapture. Ha-ha. No, when that happens, you will hear a horn, silly.
Experiencing what just happened, I think to myself that people are never prepared for such events, because until something actually happens, the moment itself is hypothetical. If another earthquake -- or any natural disaster – struck, I would ideally like to take,my Ipod and its charger, an external hard drive, my digital SLR camera, important documents, and a some pictures with me. But that is materialistic. Realistically, the items I should have ready in the next natural disaster are clothing, a pack of mints and credit card. People can always anticipate disaster, but until it strikes, the event remains at the back of our mind. In case of any emergency, try to stay calm and go from there.
# posted by [X]press Staff @ 1:42 PM 