Thread by @SquigglyVolcano

No-one wants to consider that a destructive quake or hurricane could happen during the pandemic. But thinking of the unthinkable is what some *must* do - so if the worst does happen, fewer lives are lost.

They've got your back.

Me, for @TheAtlantic
theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

Thanks to @DisastrousComms, @HudnutKen, @SamLMontano, @theterbush, @jessphoenix2018, @Weather_West, @wx_becks, Mike Poland of @USGSVolcanoes and Kevin McGowan of @ReadyLACounty for chatting with me about this!

One major takeaway: yes, another disaster during the pandemic would be awful for a multitude of reasons. But thousands of people are working around the clock, burnout be damned, training themselves to deal with a second crisis during the pandemic. That should give you some hope.

But their work will fall flat if those living in disaster-prone areas don't make preparations themselves. Shutting out the possibility of a second disaster, as understandable as that would be, is the worst thing you can do right now. Get your plans and supplies together - now.

Thanks to @thebanderson for taking me up on this piece - one that hopefully won't need a sequel in the coming months.

And cheers to @BY_MAXWELL for the evocative cover image!

If you don't think something terrible could happen in the middle of a pandemic, remember that geology doesn't give a shit about viruses. Quakes, for example, happen in an essentially temporally random manner. A major one could happen today, tomorrow or three years from now.

In other words, “Earthquakes can be real bastards," says @DisastrousComms.

Speaking of which, please read everything
@marinakoren, @sarahzhang, @alexismadrigal, @yayitsrob, @edyong209, @DKThomp and others at The Atlantic are writing on the pandemic and its hydra-like multitudinous consequences. It's all sobering, vital stuff.