Where were you and were you ready when you felt the quake?

ROCK6

ROCK6

Joined
Feb 8, 2004
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Just curious and it’s a good opportunity to conduct a simple AAR on your own preparedness. I was sitting in my office…all the way down near Augusta, GA when we felt the whole building sway. I did have my get-home bag in my office, but my focus was getting reports from our operations center as we have several subordinate organizations around the DC area. I did relook my evacuation plan if this had been a more serious incident. I’m on the second floor and my window opens enough for me to step out on to a wide ledge and drop to the ground.

I found it ironic that as I was driving to work yesterday about going over my get-home bag and getting it more focused for cooler temperatures. Several of our meeting rooms don’t have windows, but I do EDC a Novatac 120 LED flashlight and a smaller ARC LED flashlight. Knowing the dust and potential smoke from electrical fires, a dust/smoke mask would be a very helpful addition. I was also thinking about a partially collapsed building and reinforced my inclusion of a good pair of gloves if you had to assist in recovery or maneuver out of broken concrete, rebar and glass obstacles.

So, anybody on the east feel that quake and use it as a good reminder of being prepared regardless of where you are?

ROCK6
 
My coffee cup made a slight ripple pattern which I barely noticed. I'm on the ground floor with a large window that can be broken if needed to get access to the outside. I carry a flashlight in my drawer (its one of them cheapass raovacs where the battery is sealed in the housing, but it works), a few glow sticks and a multitool in my desk drawer. Still pretty warm over here, but probably wouldn't hurt to have some rain gear in my office and I noticed I already raided my leather gloves for another task and those should be replaced. As a lab, our emergency first aid kit is pretty first rate.
 
I was sitting in my war-wagon eating mcdonalds, had everything I would have possibly needed except a firearm (they aint to hip to that up here in NY)
 
ROCK6 said:
Knowing the dust and potential smoke from electrical fires, a dust/smoke mask would be a very helpful addition.
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I always have a Recon Wrap in a back pocket. We had a burning mulch pile here some years ago that really made breathing difficult, that's when I started carrying it all the time. Blocks the wind too, so it helps in cold weather, and unlike a bandanna or scarf, it won't slip.
 
I was at home when it shook us up. Being retired has it's advantages. Shook a few things off shelves, but no real damage.

One thing stood out though, the cell phones were absolutly useless. I couldn't call out to where the better half was, and she couldn't call home to see if all was well at this end. We'd done away with our land line years ago, rather than pay Verizon two bills a month. Now I'm questioning that cost cutting move. Weird thing was, we still had cable and the computer was still up, so I had e-mail capability. Weird. I'd have thought the cell phone towers were built better than that.

Verizon service was back on in about an hour.

Carl.
 
Hi Carl,

Your post made me think about how important communication can be when an event occurs - earthquake or other.

One valuable tool that several of us have gotten in the area is the ham radio. If something major happens and cell towers go out (actually, there's no cell coverage in a greater portion of our stomping grounds anyway) for whatever reason, we can get a message out. We may not necessarily be able to reach home, but we may be able to reach someone else who still has phone service to relay for us. As long as there's a charged battery, it's pretty much an event-proof form of communication.

Another tip we've found is that when in an area with intermittent cell service, sending text messages can be much more successful than placing a phone call. You can type in an elaborate message with lots of detail and your phone will send it once it gets only a few seconds worth of service.
 
I didn't feel it, however, I was talking to someone on the phone at the time and they asked if I had felt that, and she told me there was an earthquake. I looked it up, and there was an earthquake. As far as being ready, if it did hit me, I had my grab-n-go bag right next to me. After this, I am thinking of putting in a dust mask of some sort. Possibly another flashlight as well. I am not sure 2 would do well if I had to loan them out.
 
Downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Felt the first wave. Said "That's and earthquake." Seconds later, second wave hit. Blinds rattled and empty chairs moved.
 
I was asleep.
Didn't even notice.
Can't be better prepared for a disaster than that!:D
 
jackknife said:
I was at home when it shook us up. Being retired has it's advantages. Shook a few things off shelves, but no real damage.

One thing stood out though, the cell phones were absolutly useless. I couldn't call out to where the better half was, and she couldn't call home to see if all was well at this end. We'd done away with our land line years ago, rather than pay Verizon two bills a month. Now I'm questioning that cost cutting move. Weird thing was, we still had cable and the computer was still up, so I had e-mail capability. Weird. I'd have thought the cell phone towers were built better than that.

Verizon service was back on in about an hour.

Carl.
Click to expand...

We contract with Verizon and I was shocked that cell service went down as well…they are usually the most robust system outside of buried lines.


Troy H said:
Hi Carl,

Your post made me think about how important communication can be when an event occurs - earthquake or other.

One valuable tool that several of us have gotten in the area is the ham radio. If something major happens and cell towers go out (actually, there's no cell coverage in a greater portion of our stomping grounds anyway) for whatever reason, we can get a message out. We may not necessarily be able to reach home, but we may be able to reach someone else who still has phone service to relay for us. As long as there's a charged battery, it's pretty much an event-proof form of communication.

Another tip we've found is that when in an area with intermittent cell service, sending text messages can be much more successful than placing a phone call. You can type in an elaborate message with lots of detail and your phone will send it once it gets only a few seconds worth of service.
Click to expand...

Ham’s a good idea if you’re willing to invest the time. I was even thinking about a simple radio. I have a hand-crank radio plugged into my computer. If you lose internet and cable, at least you would get some situational awareness. Also, good reminder that half-duplex text messages are often more reliable than voice when trying to get through on a cell phone. Our family plan has the unlimited text option…actually, my wife is school teach and really only checks her text messages as her phone is always on silent. Same with me; I’m often in meetings where phones are silenced, but can sneak a peek at text messages…a very good emergency means of communications if the cell towers and switches remain operational.

Another aspect that I talked to my wife last night about was what to do if something really bad did happen. I’m looking at link up plans. My wife and son are close to the house, but I’m about 30 miles from the house and my daughter is all the way in Augusta…close to 45 miles, enrolled in the university. Our previous link up plan was much easier, with my daughter in college, it makes it a little trickier; regardless, now is a good time to discuss emergency plans and the little quake was as good reminder.

ROCK6
 
I work an hour from home. I was dismayed to find out how many people had no alternate travel routes. It took me a long time to get home, Baltimore's beltway was a madhouse, I stuck to the side roads. You could tell that drivers were gripped with a panic. Whether they just wanted to make sure their kids were okay, or they were afraid of aftershocks, they were in full panic mode.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
I work an hour from home. I was dismayed to find out how many people had no alternate travel routes. It took me a long time to get home, Baltimore's beltway was a madhouse, I stuck to the side roads. You could tell that drivers were gripped with a panic. Whether they just wanted to make sure their kids were okay, or they were afraid of aftershocks, they were in full panic mode.
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That's another excellent point! Having a map and knowing alternate routes is really prudent planning in any bug-home kit!!! I can only imagine the chaos had this been worse...as it was, most people are putting more beer-money in the bags as I heard most of the pubs around the Pentagon/White House pretty much ran out of beer as the evacuees called it a day and hit the bars early :D

ROCK6
 
Thomas Linton said:
I'm thinking those people in a "panic" should avoid California.
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Yes and no. Sure, the West Coast has more seismic activity, but the structures are design for it. Many of the buildings on the East are not necessarily built to those same standards. One of our post/campus station IT directors had his house collapse...maybe not panic, but at least it causes justified concern.

ROCK6
 
silenthunterstudios said:
I work an hour from home. I was dismayed to find out how many people had no alternate travel routes. It took me a long time to get home, Baltimore's beltway was a madhouse, I stuck to the side roads. You could tell that drivers were gripped with a panic. Whether they just wanted to make sure their kids were okay, or they were afraid of aftershocks, they were in full panic mode.
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That's interesting and what a contrast to the apathy I saw here in NYC.

All of the folks I spoke to in Queens at the time were like, "Was that just an earthquake? Oh it was. Oh wow." And then they went on about their lives as if nothing remarkable had happened. Typical.

I was driving at the time and didn't even realize what had happened and until I reached my destination.

Girlfriend said our six-story, turn-of-the-century apartment building was "creaking" and the picture frames almost rattled off our overstuffed book shelves.

I didn't even think much of the event until later, imagining how I would've reacted had I still been working 25 floors up in a skyscraper.

I was not in the least prepared in terms of gear. But mentally speaking, I think the calmness of all around me proved how mentally prepared many New Yorkers can be. It was encouraging.
 
I uttered the sentence, "You know, if this were a real earthquake we'd all be dead right now" while our building was still shaking... So we were not prepared (I live in D.C.) for anything like this. My boss thought that someone was kicking his chair and I thought that somehow our Building Operations Department had done something horribly wrong on a floor above us (we're in the lower floor of a mostly concrete building, so noise/vibrations travel a long way).
 
I lived in CA for a few years and I knew exactly what was happening..the whole office building shook!!!
 
NeoClassic said:
All of the folks I spoke to in Queens at the time were like, "Was that just an earthquake? Oh it was. Oh wow." And then they went on about their lives as if nothing remarkable had happened. Typical.
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That's just tough New Yorkers for ya. Nothing fell down, they're all okay, so it's time to go on with life. It takes a lot to impress a NYC person. Gotta love ém!:thumbup:

Carl.
 
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