I have lived in Los Angeles, California my whole life (28 years) and have never experienced an earthquake like I did today. I was at work in Pasadena, on the phone, leaving a message for someone and I felt a little jolt. At first, I thought maybe my equilibrium went off balance, so I stood still and then all the sudden felt a huge shake. I did not hesitate, I dropped the phone and jumped under my desk. I felt like I was on a skateboard, rolling back and forth under my desk. The earthquake seemed to last about 20 seconds or so. After the rolling stopped, I got out from under my desk, to find all my other co-workers still in their same position, on their chairs. I felt so stupid, I was the only sissy that duct for cover. The last time that I had gone through an earthquake drill was when I was 14 years old. At that time, the rules were to find a desk/table or doorway, well a lot has changed since then, apparently I’m the only one that did not get the memo.
I was trying to Twitter, but AT&T could not handle the capacity of users trying to dial out, so I was unsuccessful. Although, I was able to receive texts because I was getting other peoples twits and texts about the earthquake. After I was unsuccessful at Twitting I then remembered my kids (how sad) and tried to call them. It took about 20 minutes before I was able to get through on my cell phone. Kind of scary to know when you are in an emergency you may not be able to call for help. (Side note: As I am typing this blog at 945pm, my voicemail alert on my phone goes off, showing that I have three voicemails. The voicemails are all from around 12pm, from my loved ones checking on me. Nice to know that they care, almost 10 hours later. What’s up with that AT&T????)
After, 28 years in California, and many earthquakes I have experienced, it has now dawned on me that in a state of emergency, I am NOT prepared. Well, another “to-do” to add to my list of things I need “to-do.”
It is said that 3 days of supplies should be stored, as emergency teams may take this long to respond. Below is a list of some supplies to have handy during an earthquake:
- Flashlight and radio
- Batteries
- food and water
- First Aid Kit
Quick research: I found both human and pet earthquake kits:
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