Southern CA: are you watching? Are you ready? We may be next.
The disaster in Haiti is all over the news. My heart ached hearing about all the tragedy, homeless orphans, and problems they are now faced with. I joined the actions, donated money, and contemplated jumping on one of those aid planes. But now my thoughts turn to my own family. We live in a part of the world that faces the certainty that an earthquake, of possibly great magnitude, will happen one day soon. We accept that as part of the deal with living in an amazing city. What happened in Haiti could very likely happen here. I doubt our buildings are any more reinforced than theirs. I doubt our people, faced with catastrophe and the unknown, would act any differently than those in Haiti, resorting to violence and looting. What would we do? Are we prepared?
At the Science Center yesterday, we joined the hundreds of other people with the day off, spending it exploring the exhibits. It seemed more people than usual gravitated toward the area about earthquakes. Parents pointing out to their children exactly what happens when an earthquake hits, what "7 points on the Richter scale" means, and how to be prepared. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed everyone was a little more attentive. We had just finished a conversation in the car ride over, talking about what happened in Haiti, how it could happen here, and what we would do about it. The exhibit reinforced what we had just spoken about and my kids were much more interested than usual.
I don't want to scare my kids or stress myself out of the maybes, but I want to be prepared for the worst. We will be putting together that emergency kit we have been talking about doing for the last four years. We decided to make a plan for action; do we stay in the city or go? I feel some peace of mind, knowing the kids' school isn't a big old building, but rather small portables. If the earth begins to shake, they will head out into the big, wide-open school yard, and be clear of the structures. I also feel a little better living on the second floor, knowing there is a possibility that the first floor maybe be crushed, but we may remain intact. If we were on the first, I would probably be scouting new apartments right now.
The catastrophe is Haiti has been an eye opener for me. Natural disasters do happen and cannot be controlled. Living in a place where a large earthquake is imminent is scary, but being prepared is the only thing we can do. We aren't moving just yet. We'll just have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Original post for LA Mom's Blog.
Melissa can also be found blogging at http://melissadavisfood.wordpress.com or http://communitymama.wordpress.com.
