Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

(1) Thread: Today's #earthquake #aftershock near Alaska.

I survived an EQ on 2/22/11 in Christchurch, NZ in which 185 people died and the city's downtown and coastal areas were destroyed. We're _still_ rebuilding.

Here's reliable info about today:

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ev…

(2) As usual, Twitter was filled with anxious tweets from folk asking how bad today's earthquake and potential tsunami threat were.

Tsunami info: tsunami.gov

Earthquake info: usgs.gov

(3) The (mild) tsunami watch (not an alert) has now been cancelled.

Damaging tsunami near Alaska are extremely rare. Still, everyone there should educate themselves about what to do.

There are some rules of thumb that can allay fear.

(4) If you near the coast or a downstream waterway and you feel a tsunami-causing earthquake you don't need an official warning.

"If it's long or strong, get gone."

Literally run inland/uphill/upstairs. Don't ever try to drive, there isn't time.

(5) Before an event, it pays to educate yourself about earthquake, tsunami and volcano risk if they apply to your area. Many parts of the contiguous USA outside California are at risk of earthquake, too.

#DropCoverHoldOn is now known to be safer than getting under a doorway.

(6) The USGS has said today's shake near AK "is an aftershock of the M 7.8 earthquake that occurred on July 22, 2020."

There's a part of CA that has the type of fault that can cause #foreshocks. We had one 5 months before the big quake in NZ in 2011.

Learn about foreshocks.

(7) Alone, the magnitude of an EQ says little about its impact. You need the depth and location for that.

Today's earthquake was 25 miles deep. That's too deep to be a risk to life, at 7.5 magnitude.

Most US EQs aren't right under big cities. That day might come though.

(8) IMO, greater Los Angeles will not fare well if there is a big, shallow quake right under or close to it.

Y'all have the kind of topography and soils we have in Christchurch.

#Liquefaction is a major hazard in such places and causes a lot of property damage, too.

(9) Yes yes, the USA has really great seismic building codes. So did NZ in 2011.

They're not enough. Plenty of structures (private and public) are not engineered well enough to preserve life in LA, and the property damage would whack the local AND national economy hard.

(10) If you are buying or renting a residential or commercial property in an earthquake risk zone, the onus is on YOU to do your due diligence.

And ensure your insurance policies are adequate. Get legal advice on the fine print, bc insurers will try to get out of paying out.

(11) Another thing to learn from the NZ experience is that EQ damage hinders recovery, for a long time.

The building collapse that killed 115 of the 185 victims here was related to damage from the foreshock 5 months earlier.

Engineers certified it safe after the foreshock.

(12) The engineers excused their error by referring to the pressure of getting enough experts to inspect as many buildings as possible asap. That's lame.

Those who worked in or visited the building trusted the owner, management & engineers.

And it's hard to sue in NZ.

(13) IMO more Americans need to focus on emergency preparedness, esp. wrt earthquakes in CA and other higher risk states.

Major economic regions can collapse, for years. No jobs. No money to rebuild.

It's a national security issue.

(14) In my personal and professional experience, the Trump admin has had a more positive impact on emergency management and response than any previous admin.

Those who disagree ignore the evidence and parrot the left's talking points.

This is no place for that.

(15) I base my voting decisions on my assessment of the economic and security threats we face, and the party best able to address them. Clearly, that's the GOP not the Democrats in their current form.

Elections matter. As individuals we can't manage national security ourselves.

(16) I'd be sounding the alarm about earthquake readiness in the USA whether I had a political view of it or not.

In Christchurch we forgot that geologists had warned us, years ago. We weren't sufficiently ready.

I want Americans to be ready.

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