Living close to the right-lateral strike-slip continental transform tectonic boundary otherwise known as the San Andreas Fault does make you a little more aware of the deep rumblings of the earth than we ever were in sunny England (although there was an earthquake there once. People are still talking about it). We have an earthquake kit in our house, with several old coke bottles full of water, and a cricket bat to protect us from looters/zombies. We also know that our local church is our nearest "crisis response center", so we'll be hanging out there and singing hymns until help arrives.
In a more organised manner, today was the annual Great California Shakeout. This is a state-wide event where millions follow the highly technical response should the earth begin to move: drop, cover, and hold on. Don't laugh! As dropcoverholdon.org will inform you, these simple steps can and will save your life.
Unfortunately we seemed to miss the memo about the rehearsal, and I was only made aware of it when my Dad read an article about it in a British paper. Hannah's been working on Chevron's relief plans for natural disasters in other parts of the world, but apparently this doesn't make her personally any more prepared. Myself, I'll be buying some tinned food, checking the coke bottle water levels, and wondering if maybe I should add a shotgun to my disaster kit inventory...
