Did Ya Feel the Earth Move?

Woke up at 4:25 this morning to the building shaking like a leaf in the wind. Well, actually, it was more of a jolt than a shake--sharp and quick like lightning.

Post-Katrina, earthquakes take on a new meaning for me. They feel more urgent, like the earth's telling us: 'Wake up, get ready. 'Cuz I'm pissed off and I'm makin' y'all pay attention."

In my classic Type A fashion, I spent the next hour listening to the radio and looking online for earthquake preparedness info. I'm no stranger to earthquakes, having been born and raised in Cali, but Katrina and the federal government's slow response to poor communities and communities of color in that disaster is makin' me anxious and wanting to be really prepared. Makin' the trip to Costco this week to stock up. Was planning this before last night's jolt--which was only a 3.0 but felt stronger, since it was centered less than 2 miles north of my house on the Hayward fault--but mother nature's reminder has motivated me to move faster.

And if you need any more motivation to prepare yourself and your family and your community for the next Big One, check out this article about how a major earthquake in California could be worse than Katrina, as well as these hazard maps for the east bay--where there is a 67% chance of a magnitude 6.0 earthquake or larger to hit within the next 30 years--here and here. There's also this kinda cheesy but telling animated shaking mapof the entire bay area, many parts of which are made of landfill (aka earthquake jelly).

People get ready! Don't say you ain't been warned,
Rona