Early this morning, a powerful 6.7-magnitude earthquake shook northwestern Japan resulting in at least three deaths and hundreds of injuries. According to an article in the New York Times, the devastating quake destroyed about 300 buildings in the city of Kashiwazaki and “flattened dozens of wooden houses and triggered a fire at a nuclear power plant.” Our hearts go out to everyone in Japan affected by this disaster.
Earthquakes are simply a matter of fact in many parts of the world and especially in densely populated Japan. Here in the western United States we are no strangers to earthquakes either. Take a look at the map above that shows faults and recent earthquakes in California/Nevada. We do have a few faults running around us here on the north shore of Tahoe.
Living in an earthquake prone area means we must accept the reality of the situation and be prepared for chance that one will actually happen. A recent report placed the probability of a major earthquake occurring in the Bay Area in the next 30 years at greater than 62%!
So if you live where the ground may unexpectedly throw your life into turmoil at any time, you most certainly should have your essentials in order and in a safe place.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, July 15th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
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