We had an earthquake just lately, as I'm sure you've heard by now...

[Hand_Rifle_Guy]

So that makes me wonder. Earthquakes, like hurricanes, are an act of God that can lead to a SHTF situation.

We have BUCKETS of literature expounded by the state about quake prepared-ness. Heck, we got stores that specialize in nothing else.

One thing I've noticed about all of these pamphlets is the LACK of the idea that a gun might be a good thing to have around, to fend off looters and such-like. It's like guns don't exist. They tell you stock food, water, batteries, camp fuel, all that good stuff, but the idea that there might be evil people roaming about taking your hard-earned stock of emergency goods AWAY from you is NOT EVEN ADDRESSED.

What, looters don't happen? Got their heads in the sand? Kaliforny liberals just WISH HARD that looters will stay away? That makes a lot of sense.

Two things:

1) what do you think of this hide-your-head-in-the-sand mentality, especially from the likes of agencies specifically engaged to prepare people for the worst, and

2) In other states that face disasters, like Florida, for instance, do the preparedness people maintain the same attitude? Curious, I am, to find out if this attitude is pervasive in bureaucratic institutions designed to help citizens maintain some semblance of civilization when God feels otherwise.

Note: Sending in the National Guard is a good start, but wouldn't it be easier to tell people to watch out for themselves? It seems it would make everyone's job a little easier. When Florida got clobbered by hurricane Andrew, lots of folks took their security into their own hands, because they HAD to.

Maybe I'm asking too much, from institutions that are politically driven. Politicians and government agencies are not allowed to advocate basic rights, it seems. At least in MY stupid state.

Earthquake update: Magnitude 5.1, 3 miles west of Gilroy, Kaliforny, 4.8 miles down. About thirty or so miles south of me. Shook the house, freaked out my mom's dog, (She was an earthquake virgin ) but did no damage, not even cracked plaster. Shaking was rather brisk, lasting 5-6 seconds. Personally, earthquakes are fun, but I've yet to live through a really SERIOUS one. It's coming to this state any minute now, though. These little guys are precursors to a major rumbler. This is one of a pattern of little cracks that precede the monsters, the same as what happened in 1906, when The Great San Francisco Quake scrubbed the City off the map, andf left it looking like Hiroshima after the Bomb. That one, rated at 8.1 or so, shook for TWO MINUTES. That's an ugly thought, and a comparable quake will dump all seven major bridges we have into the S.F. Bay, as ALL of them were built after the Great Quake, but well before anything like understanding of what quakes are capable of. In 1989, the Bay Bridge broke, but did not fully collapse, and that was a mere 7.1 quake located forty miles from the bridge. We're expecting a MAJOR quake in this state, any minute. Destruction looms.

S'okay, though. The liberals earned it for us. The Earth Rejects Them.

Your opinions would be much appreciated. Me? I keep a good stock of ammo around, and enough guns for the whole family, rifles and handguns. But I'm a gun nut, and I know better.

 

[C.R.Sam]

Response to Q 1. Attitude poor. Like hiding head in the sand to avoid a problem. Maby cause they realize that in the event of a really major event, things are going to go south in a hand basket.

Not politically smart to admit that there is the possibility of immense loss of life and nothing they can do about it.

Spooks the herd.

Sam

 

[HKguy9]

Why worry? The police will save you.

The less they buy, the more SHTF supplies for me! Besides, I'm a SHTF hobbyist.

 

[El Rojo]

Personally, earthquakes are fun, but I've yet to live through a really SERIOUS one.

If you didn't live through it, then how are you alive today? I have lived through all of the serious quakes the PRK has had since 1977. I am sorry to see you didn't make it.

Sorry I couldn't resist. For the SHTF situations, I have taken on the responsibility of properly equiping most of my neighbors for a two block radius. Our neighborhood will not be molested.

 

[gorlitsa]

It couldn't have been that big of an earthquake....

It didn't even crack the ice at the hockey game!

....

Seriously, if you think you're going to be in a position where you have to provide for yourself for a few days/weeks, I would definatly recommend having a lot more than you think you'll need. Having the ability to welcome friends and neighbors in to keep them safe as well will do a lot to reduce your chances of getting some well-armed enemies coming to rob you. Safety in numbers and all that.

....

PS: AVS RULE! They're going to whip the Sharks tonight!

 

[Aion]

The idea of having to repel boarders doesn't worry me, it's imagining the line of soccer moms in minivans buying all the milk and bread at the Giant that scares me!

- Aion

 

[Russ]

Hand_Rifle_Guy:

A 5 is not a huge quake but it will wake you up to be sure. If you think quakes are fun, wait until you have been through a 6+ magnitude quake. You won't be saying they are fun any longer, I promise.

I've been trough a couple of 6.0 and higher quakes out there. They are really frightening. I was in 9th grade when the Sylmar quake hit in 1971. I thought it was the end of the world. I never knew walls could bend that much. It was 6.7 as I recall. Northridge was about the same. Then there was the Loma Prieta quake in the SF Bay area. I was too far away to feel that one thank goodness. I think it was a 7.0. They will make you respect nature's awesome power.

If you get a magnitude 7 or more on the San Andreas fault, you can probably kiss alot of the state good bye depending on where it breaks. I was told all my life that the "BIG ONE" was coming any time. Not if, but when. When the San Andreas fault breaks again, you are probably going to get a magnitude 7 or higher. Then, you will have a major disaster on your hands. Not to freak you out too bad, but often times, before a major quake there are forequakes. Just like the 5 you just had.

It would be foolish not to have a gun for every member of your family. Plan on some of your friends showing up too.

When I lived there, I always kept a 55 gallon drum full of water, some food storage, batteries, lights, medical supplies and guns. Don't forget the bullets. I think there will be panic on a large scale.

El Rojo:

If you go over the Grapvine towards LA, you can see the San Andreas Fault. It's around 50 miles South of Bakersfield. Pray it breaks closer to San Francisco!

Now I live where we have tornados. At least you can see them coming!

 

[Mark D]

Russ...

Rog-O on 6+ being NO fun. The one we had last year in Seattle was... "Interesting". Nothing quite like seeing the road before you look like the ocean with three and four foot swells. I am still amazed that the pavement never actually cracked. I'm glad I wasn't in a building when it hit.

To quote the Dodos from Ice Age: "If you haven't prepared for what's coming, than DOOM ON YOU!"

 

[madkiwi]

That was fun! I was sitting on the floor in the family room cleaning the Savage 10FP when the quake hit. I was sitting 2 feet in front of my 50 gallon saltwater reef tank, and I looked up to see the waves rolling across the top of the tank.

I realized that if the tank had gone over, all 400 lbs of it were going to land on me, but I would have been really upset about the new Savage! (Not to mention the 47" widescreen HDTV 10 feet across the room)

I have already planned on a big quake someday, have rendevous points, contact people, and FRS radios stashed in my desk at work, in her car (I take train to work, she drives). Have some food and water (probably not enough, 12 gallons pure water, natural pond nearby though and a Katadyn filter, 24 MREs, lots of canned food), always have 2 30# gas canisters full with a Coleman stove with adapter for the BBQ canisters etc. Plus enough firepower to arm several neighbors too.

It is not if, but when.

One of the TV stations here did a bit about being prepared for disasters/terrorist events and featured a family in San Jose, showed their lavish supplies and preparations. If I was an evil person I would have taken down their names with the intent of "looking them up" after TSHTF. The family was boasting that they didn't have any guns. DUH!

Madkiwi

 

[Mark D]

"We're very prepared... But we made a decision, noy to rely on those evil guns."

Cool. I respect you choice not to have any guns... Oh by the way. Me and the boys are gonna use your house as our new headquarters... Mmmph, these canned pears of yours are real good.

 

[spacemanspiff]

learn to swim
see you all in arizona bay




tool - aenima

 

[Kaylee]

Well.. in all honesty, unless you're running a grocery store (or a liquor store in a neighborhood where people don't like you) -- I suspect you'ld not really need a weapon.

First off, as a private home, you'ld be pretty low down on the target list. Sure the grocery would get hit -- likely some "luxuries" places (electronics, etc) by opportunists -- but going house-to-house isn't so cost effective for a looter. Odds are, they wouldn't work their way down to houses until after the first spree's over with... at which time -- in a localized event like an earthquake, odds are you WILL have help on the ground within a few days.
(Yes, I'm aware of the exceptions to this)

Second, seems like when Bad Things Happen, people tend to pull together first, rather than shooting at each other. 9/11 is the perfect example. (And I'm aware of exceptions to this to)


All that said (and remembering said exceptions).. keep the gun, certainly. But I don't think any of us should pretend our $1K plus battle rifles are for "preparedness" when a $150 SKS or second hand shotgun will do the same job just as well. That's just justifying an (admittedly worthwhile) hobby.

-K

 

[Hand_Rifle_Guy]

Russ, I've lived here all of my life. I've been through ALL of the semi-major quakes we've had here. The World Series was on in the house during Loma Prieta, before we lost power. the whole country got to watch that.

So I do have a rather intimate acquantance with ground-rollers. I still think they're fun, but I am an acknowledged loon.

That being said, this thread isn't really about being prepared or not, it's about the lack of acknowledgement of evil people by agencies in charge of preparation. I think Kaylee's probably right, but that wasn't really demonstrated during the L.A. riots, and that wasn't even a disaster, just a bit of "civil unrest".

I've read about civilization's rules getting frayed in as short a time as four days around hurricanre Andrew in Florida. That's why we send the National Guard to maintain order: because there's not enough cops to go around, and communications don't usually work. The N.G. stands around with guns, keeping the peace.

We have civilization because we all agree to abide by the rules. Desperate circumstances can lead to desperation mentality, to wit: "I didn't prepare for this, so I'll go swipe someone else's preparations, or I ain't gonna EAT." Add supporting a family to that equasion, and I can easily see a lot of people getting damn ruthless, right quick.


I would think that preparation literature might at least MENTION the possibilty of the breakdown of law and order. To refuse to acknowledge the possibilty is doing the citizens a dis-service, in my opinion. Hence the questions.

I really waant to know if places that get pounde by hurricanes or floods or tornadoes or what-have-you are willing to adress the possibility that there are some idiots in the world that are going to start preying on those around them. It's happened before

 

[Dave R]

"Personally, earthquakes are fun, but I've yet to live through a really SERIOUS one. "

Well, I lived 10 miles from the epicenter of the Loma Preta quake in '89. It was NO FUN. By hindsight, good experience, though. Three days with no utilities. We're members of the Church of Jesus Christ (Mormon), so we had food stored, which was good. The day after the quake the grocery stores in our little town were open, but had no power. So they only let a few people in at a time, and checked them out by hand, and CASH ONLY. I measured the line to get at just under 1/3 mile long when I drove by looking for flexible pipe to repair our water heater which broke.

I'll never forget that night. Aftershocks ALL night long, my little ones crying and scared to death, all of us "sleeping" together in the living room. Yeah, I had no idea (MY) walls could flex that much, either.

Had to replace the roof, all brick & stucco siding, and fireplace. We were lucky at that.

Had a good case of post-trumatic stress syndrome, too. For a few months after, any tinkling or rock-breaking sound would flood me with adrenaline. Flying was hard, too. Every bit of turbulence caused an "earthquake" reaction.

No looting was reported, though. If there was some, I missed it. Certainly none in my area. People pulled together. Neighbors helped me get the fragments of my chimney off what was left of the roof. We all helped each other clean up debris, re-start gas utilities (forget waiting for the utility company). Church folk helped me prep for the new roof.

My wife was in FL for hurricane Andrew, though. Lots of looting there. People painted their houses with slogans like "Protected by Smith & Wesson, etc. A few documented cases of looters (or worse?) chased off with firearms.

 

[Standing Wolf]

As far as I'm concerned, the only good thing about earthquakes is that they give you a good reason to buy more guns.

 

[HKguy9]

Was there for the 7.2 (?) Northridge quake in 1994. My brother damn near slept through it, I had to haul his arse out of bed. The rest of the family remained real calm except for mom, who was VERY panicked and nerve-racked for the next week or two.

I forgot if it's safer to stay DOWNSTAIRS or UPSTAIRS but my family insisted on staying DOWNSTAIRS because structurally it's stronger (?). I rather have stayed upstairs, because if the building falls (it was newly remodeled) I rather fall and land on something than not fall and have something land on me.

My mom was almost out of her mind, she insisted that batteries would be wasted when we walked to and from the bathroom and around the house, but wanted us to use the batteries to light the piano so we could play and calm her nerves.

My brother was bored, most of all. I think he wanted to go back to bed. I just wanted the damn lights to come on. Me and dad played chess in the dark because we couldn't sleep..hahaha he's color blind, so I think I won.

I was more worried about mom's mental state, I think someone drove by, but she thought she heard a siren and started screaming "Oh my god, someone's been shot" ?!?!?!!.

As a kid, thinking you're safe, and having mommy and daddy to protect you, watching your parents lose their mind is more scary than any goblin or quake. I realize how underprotected I was from my family. I love them, but I think they did a pretty ****ty job of contingency planning. 99.995 of the time we were OK and I was lucky, but what if we actually had a home invasion ? What if we actually had to break out the SHTF supplies? What if there was a fire? I was the only one in the house with a fire extinguisher, a crappy one at that. NO first aid in the house.

AFTER the quake, my parents bought a 2-person survival kit. One of those cheapass orange backpacks with about a liter of water for 3 days. I don't think it was ever opened, inspected. And they hid it from us to keep us from tampering with it. In case of emergency, I still don't know where it is, but I have my 15-day supply now under my bed.

 

[LoneStranger]

Uh, Russ,

Reading your location you might wish to investigate how you are located in relation to the New Madrid fault zone. Indications are that when it breaks it will probably be up in the 9's on the Richter scale.

It would be painfully funny if you left Kali account quakes and moved on top of the New Madrid.