Earthquake!

[Sherry E]

Ummm...for those of us who don't have a lot of experience in earthquakes, can you experienced people tell us what we're supposed to do if there is one happening while we're at DL? I saw someone wrote about standing in a doorway. Why do that? And what else woud you do. I'm getting a little freaked out about going on my DL trip in June with all this earthquake talk and now on CNN they're talking about the Swine Flu and 68 dead in Mexico and others infected in Cali, TX, and New York. They're talking about it being a pandemic. Now I'm really questioning going in June.
What happens if you're on a ride and a quake hits? Are the rides programmed to automatically shut down or do you just keep on going and to heck with it all? I've been in hurricanes, and tornado areas, and we were told to go in the bathroom and lay in the tub with the mattress over us in case the building collapsed in a hurricane, also to stay in the doorway because it's reinforced. In the tornado we were in a cement building (hotel) so we really didn't get any advice - just stay away from the windows. What do we noobs need to know to survive a bad quake? Why wouldn't it be safer in a quake situation to just go outside of the building and wait it out. I'd rather be outside of a collapsing building than in it.

Oh, I am sure you will be fine at DLR in June! The quakes come and go - it just seems like it has been extra seismically active around the western US and the world lately, but I don't think anything hideous will happen too soon. We here in SoCal live with the knowledge every day that something could happen but we don't really think about it until a quake happens, and then we go back to our lives. I am CERTAIN that DLR is very well protected and I am sure the rides will automatically shut down in the event of any significant quake. The real problem would be the PEOPLE panicking and running if ever a large quake occurred more than the actual structures or rides. I mean, nobody in California is 100% protected from quakes, but the bad ones don't happen often enough to really interfere with life.

When a quake does happen, we are always told to NOT run outside. Now, natural instinct and reaction, I think, is to run outside because no one wants to be trapped in a building, like the folks in the Northridge quake were. I always want to go outside, but we are always told that it is a bad idea because if a building is being shaken and its windows are blowing out, the glass is like daggers and will fall on you. It is just the same if you stand near a windo - the glass blows out and it is dangerous. People always say to stand in a doorway because the door frame is supposed to be be stronger than the rest of the room you are in, but I don't like door frames. We are also told to get under a heavy desk or table, but when the ground starts shaking violently (like in Northridge) at 5:30 a.m., you are lucky to keep your wits about you. I sure was not thinking calmly, 'Oh let me find the nearest doorway.' I was thinking, in a panic, 'I have to get the #$%& out of this building - NOW!!!'

But those scary ones happen infrequently, and you will be fine - nothing to worry about!

This swine flu came out of nowhere, didn't it? And it was supposed to be a virus occurring only in pigs, but now there is proof it has been transferred from human to human. SARS kind of calmed down after it was looking like it was going to be very threatening worldwide, so I am hoping this swine flu calms down too. The bird flu has kind of quieted down some too.

 

[PinkBudgie]

They say not to rush out of a building but I think it depends on the kind of building. It had to do with things falling on you. If you are in an old tall building in San Fransisco, then it would be better to hide under something. But I'm thinking if your house is a one story and you don't have any bricks on your house, then running outside may not be bad. Guess it depends on what is around your house too. Although dashing under the table could be faster than risking something inside falling on you on your way out. I've done both.

Of course, at home when it has happened at night DH and I both leap out of bed and run to the kids' room. Usually by the time we get there it is over anyway. The two "long" ones I've been in were times I had to look around to find something to hide under. The first one in 89 we were just married and all we had was a card table. That wouldn't work, so I had to find a doorway.

One afternoon I was alone with my 2 year old boys when we had an earthquake. I made them finish their naps under the table. They thought that was great fun, of course.

Anyway, most likely if you are just visiting, one will not occur. If at DLR, just do what the CMs say. They know where to go for this. They directed all of us out in the middle of Main Street away from the buildings. Don't know if the rides shut down automatically or not, since I wasn't on one when it happened. They do have to make an inspection before the ride can run again. Grizzly Rapids, Space, and Indiana Jones were the longest to come back on. Small rides started coming back in about 2 hours.

 

[Grumpy'sWife4Ever]

I am so relieved that the Mayans predicted Dec of 2012 as the end of the world - that means we'll be able to do our May 2012 DL trip, no problems!

 

[Sherry E]

I am so relieved that the Mayans predicted Dec of 2012 as the end of the world - that means we'll be able to do our May 2012 DL trip, no problems!

December 21, to be exact - so I want to either be at DLR or on my way to DLR on that date, for a holiday adventure!

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

December 21, to be exact - so I want to either be at DLR or on my way to DLR on that date, for a holiday adventure!

Ooohh, let's all go to DLR ON that day. Wouldn't that be fun!!?

 

[Sherry E]

Ooohh, let's all go to DLR ON that day. Wouldn't that be fun!!?

H*** yes! If we are going to be anywhere when the world meets its end, it may as well be at the Happiest Place on Earth! I wonder what those Mayans saw that caused them to end their calendar on 12/21/12. It could just be that they ran out of room when they were writing and couldn't continue on with 12/22/12 and so forth! I can tell that when 12/21/12 rolls around, it is going to be another one of those days like 1/1/00, when many people panicked because they thought Y2K was going to be the end of civilization as we know it. There will probably be a lot of hype leading up to that day.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

H*** yes! If we are going to be anywhere when the world meets its end, it may as well be at the Happiest Place on Earth! I wonder what those Mayans saw that caused them to end their calendar on 12/21/12. It could just be that they ran out of room when they were writing and couldn't continue on with 12/22/12 and so forth! I can tell that when 12/21/12 rolls around, it is going to be another one of those days like 1/1/00, when many people panicked because they thought Y2K was going to be the end of civilization as we know it. There will probably be a lot of hype leading up to that day.

That's what I think. Those Mayans could not have possibly made a calendar that lasted forever.

I was just watching an episode of King of the Hill where they where all hyped up about Y2K..

 

[Sherry E]

That's what I think. Those Mayans could not have possibly made a calendar that lasted forever.

I was just watching an episode of King of the Hill where they where all hyped up about Y2K..

Those Mayans either ran out of room or tools they were using to log dates (no handy Staples stores nearby to restock!), OR maybe they just got bored! Maybe they figured, "Eh - I have already spent way too long on this calendar thing and I am sick of it and want to move on. This is boring."

 

[Grumpy'sWife4Ever]

This is so funny (well, not funny but odd???) Tonight on the History Channel they had a whole program on the 12/21/12 thing - what a coincidence, huh?? Anyway, I guess the whole significance is based on this: That particular Winter Solstace, the planets will be aligned in such a way that the Earth will be directly lined up with the center of the universe (or something like that, I don't speak astro-physician very well ) and the Mayans, who were VERY aware of the heavens, thought that would be significant.

And THAT is your educational 30 seconds for today....

 

[PinkBudgie]

This is so funny (well, not funny but odd???) Tonight on the History Channel they had a whole program on the 12/21/12 thing - what a coincidence, huh?? Anyway, I guess the whole significance is based on this: That particular Winter Solstace, the planets will be aligned in such a way that the Earth will be directly lined up with the center of the universe (or something like that, I don't speak astro-physician very well ) and the Mayans, who were VERY aware of the heavens, thought that would be significant.

And THAT is your educational 30 seconds for today....

Have you noticed that people always assume it means something bad if planets line up a certain way or dates have a number that we happen to think is interesting? No one ever says they think it means something good will happen.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

LOL!! That is true!

 

[Sherry E]

I have seen a couple of different specific 12-21-12 shows (maybe one of them was the one mentioned above) on History Channel and I think on one of the Discovery channels too (you know how Discovery has different channels), as well as a special Nostradamus 2012 show (they were analyzing how his predictions seem to concur with the Mayan calendar) and other Armageddon - asteroid - 7 ways the world will end doom and gloom shows. Even though they scare the #$%& out of me, I love watching all of them. I can't get enough. Maybe it helps to desensitize me a little to all those things that we are vulnerable to (like asteroids and 'supervolcanoes' and gamma rays and black holes, etc.), but they are scary. Anyway, in one of these segments on 12-21-12 and why the Mayan calendar stopped on that day, they mentioned the planet alignment, as we already know, but one guy was elaborating by saying that the reason why this possible planet alignment COULD be cataclysmic to Earth is that IF things line up in just such a way, it could position us in the direct path of a black hole. Currently, all the 'known' black holes are galaxies away and pose no threat to us. Just like all the 'known' asteroids floating around in space (and there are many unknown ones that are missing in action, unfortunately) are currently not a threat except for possibly the enormous one that is coming close to us in 2029 and 2036. But when things shift around in the universe, like a planetary alignment, it throws black holes and asteroids off of their current course - which is when things become a problem for US and go haywire in space.

So, there actually is a scientific reason why a planetary alignment could be a bad thing for us, BUT it is not like as soon as 12-21-12 rolls around, we are going to know that very second, I don't think. Like we wake up in the morning as we are being swallowed up into a black hole. I don't think it is that instantaneous. But the scientists would be able to tell pretty quickly if things aligned in our favor or not in our favor and we would have warning of some kind of a black hole catastrophe.

But, let's say the Mayans DID accurately predict the planetary alignment because they were very in touch with the heavens. The doesn't mean they necessarily saw the end of the world happening on that day - or in their world, they may have believed the planetary alignment meant a certain end to the world, but that doesn't mean they were correct!

Anyway, this is why our space programs/NASA and JPL and all the scientists/astronomers/astrophysicists, etc. are so important. They are actually trying to find ways to defend us against asteroids and trying to find other habitable planets so that one day when the earth DOES end - and it will end one day - people will have another place to live in space!! It sounds very Star Trek and Star Wars-ish, but it is actually very necessary to try to find other planets that will sustain human life.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Maybe it helps to desensitize me a little to all those things that we are vulnerable to (like asteroids and 'supervolcanoes' and gamma rays and black holes, etc.)

All those little everyday problems? It just struck me as funny the way you put that. You do watch too much Discovery channel! I love that channel and would watch it all the time if we still had tv. We canceled our subscription to save money and just rent from Netflix. No stations come in over the air, so no tv for us. I also like the Discovery Health channel too.

Back to black holes. Are we sure that would be bad to be sucked into a black hole? Now see, everyone assumes that would be a bad thing. Me? No, I'm not going to test it! Wasn't there a Disney movie called The Black Hole? I forget what happened. I love Star Wars and Star Trek and all things Sci-fi, so bring that on. Give me a flying car, but don't make me wear a spandex jumpsuit!

Ok, sorry, it has been a long, crazy day and I just degraded this perfectly good thread into Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

 

[tink2dw]

I'm old enough that the planets and all have that have lined up 2 times , to much less hoopla than the Y2K Created.

 

[Grumpy'sWife4Ever]

They did mention the black hole on the show I watched - they also mentioned something about the Earth's rotation being altered, the poles shifting and all the continents suddenly and violently drifting, causing massive earthquakes, tidal waves, and certain doom for mankind....

It was a LOVELY and upbeat show. I enjoyed it almost as much as I like dental work or a good bikini wax......

 

[PinkBudgie]

It was a LOVELY and upbeat show. I enjoyed it almost as much as I like dental work or a good bikini wax......

Ok, changed my mind. If black holes cause earthquakes, I don't like them!
We came full circle back to the original topic.

 

[Grumpy'sWife4Ever]

Ok, changed my mind. If black holes cause earthquakes, I don't like them!
We came full circle back to the original topic.

I sincerely apologize. I certainly didn't mean to be on topic. That is SOOO unlike me!

 

[PinkBudgie]

I sincerely apologize. I certainly didn't mean to be on topic. That is SOOO unlike me!

Ok, just don't let it happen again. Diversions are so much fun.

 

[Sherry E]

Okay, I will get back on topic - earthquakes! We just had one. It is Friday night, May 1, about 6:15, and I was minding my own business when a 4.3 or 4.4 just happened and jolted me upright. This one was located around Westlake Village, the news people say (I am in the Beverly Hills/Miracle Mile area of town). I am not sure what faultline it is yet, though, but I certainly felt it. I HATE HATE HATE earthquakes and I can never rest after there has been one because I am too nervous about a bigger one happening! I start grabbing all my keys and glasses and important stuff and jamming them into one bag in case I have to run out (yes, I am one of those who feels the need to run outside even though we are not supposed to).

Again, as I said in an earlier post, I think I must be extra-perceptive to quakes because much earlier today I thought I felt a tiny one, but there was nothing shaking around here and no other reports anywhere. It is almost as if I am sensing them before they happen. I don't like feeling them when they ARE happening; I certainly don't need to feel them before they happen!

 

[LavenderPeach]

It is almost as if I am sensing them before they happen.

Hey, you could make a lot of money being an earthquake predicting machine! Maybe you could post here when you sense one coming so we can all be prepared!

We didn't feel it over here but it sounds like it wasn't too big so that's not surprising.

By the way, I was going to post earlier that I heard recently that instead of standing in a doorway, you are supposed to sit against an inside wall, like in a hallway or an inside room. I always thought standing in a doorway seemed kind of scary since it seems like you would too exposed to flying glass or something. I remember in high school when we would have earthquake drills and we would all have to go under those little tiny desks. I can't say that I felt very protected. I'm not even a very big person and I couldn't fit under there. I guess you could get your head sort of protected but what about the rest of your body? Meanwhile the teachers got to hide under those nice, big sturdy desks. Is it just me or did anyone else ever think about that during earthquake drills at school?