If you think Texas is bad, just wait until something happens to California

[ansible]

Way too many people are just completely clueless and unprepared for a natural disaster. Texas should be a wake up call to always have a plan to prepare for the worst. Stock up water above all else, amazing how civilization suddenly falls apart so fast when the faucets aren't working anymore.

[msongs]

1. CA senators will not go on vacation when disaster strikes nt

[shanti]

19. You can put money on that n/t

[cally]

22. Feinstein will just stay in DC

Have you ever gotten any help from Feinstein’s office. I’ve called a few times over the years and they are rude!

[USALiberal]

2. Why do you assume CA people are more clueless than TX?

[ansible]

8. More urban population than Texas for starters

I wouldn't want to be in the Bay Area or LA when the big one happens, it's going to be horrible.

[Dream Girl]

3. We were just discussing this last night. We're in earthquake country

Going to get some water this weekend

[JI7]

6. But we do have standards and regulations in building things

based on possibility of the earthquakes.

[SWBTATTReg]

10. So what are you saying here, that you are going to get some water from an earthquake happening

this weekend? Do you sop up the water as the ground squeezes the water out w/ a rag, during the earthquake?

[hlthe2b]

26. I have yet to encounter a Californian who does not go in great detail, if asked about their "go bag"

AND the stockpile of water, food, batteries, flashlights and general supplies they keep close at hand.

I don't live in earthquake country--my risks are wildfires, tornadoes, and blizzards, but I have a "go-bag" that includes water filtration units and I know where within walking distance I can access surface water sources. If I lived in an urban area of California at high risk for earthquakes, I'd surely note any ponds or lakes in nearby parks or other sources. And yes, I do keep several gallon water jugs in the pantry that I refill and rotate every couple of months. That's in Colorado. California friends I know make me look unprepared.

Yes, shit happens everywhere, but I'd put my $$ on California to have planned and to be able to respond INFINITELY better than Texas or many other states. People scream about their regulation, but that is the anticipatory planning that both prevents many problems and allows state and local government to respond to those that occur.

[SWBTATTReg]

28. I'm like you, I prepare for everything and don't really rely on anyone else, after all, if something

bad does happen, and those that one relied on to be prepared, didn't prepare/didn't do their part, then you are in a bad spot.

Never put your safety, in someone else's hands (I know that pilots etc. are a different tier of responsibility, so I trust them, and others in such positions of resp.).

Look at the way you all prep for earthquakes in CA...tons better than what we do here in MO, believe me ... with the New Madrid fault line south of STLMO, you would think that there would be more prep here, but I don't see nothing usually being done, except the rare news special on the possibility of one happen in MO (the BIG one), which occurs once every 10 years or so.

[JI7]

4. What do you think will happen in California that people are not prepared for ?

[Dream Girl]

15. Everyone is supposed to have an earthquake and a whole list of supplies (a go bag). I haven't heard

anyone mention theses in years. About 10+ years ago it was a big thing a bet lots of people have forgotten. Also, securing bookcases and other heavy furniture. I doubt people are doing much of that these days

[CountAllVotes]

31. Bookshelves bolted into the wall

Six cases of water on hand at the moment, six flashlights, two lanterns, extra batteries, sleeping bags, cupboard stocked, carriers and supplies for three animals, etc. etc. etc.

As I mentioned, have gone 10 days w/o power and I was on the clean-up crew when Loma Prieta hit in S.F.

I have been through dozens of earthquakes, most of them small and a few big.

Also the orange skies and putrid air from the fires fires last year.

What else can one do?

[CountAllVotes]

5. Have gone 10 days w/o power

Don't underestimate Californians.

Esp. olde San Franciscans.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. "Until"?

[roamer65]

9. I worry more about the Pacific Northwest.

Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

The Cascadia subduction zone there can produce 9.0 plus quakes, plus tsunamis and I don’t think they are as ready as California.

[moonscape]

20. I talked someone out of moving into the

heart of the zone from CA by sending a lengthy article about. She didn’t know.

Agree they are not prepared. It’s terrifying though that in some areas it’s almost impossible to prepare for near-certain wipe-out when it happens.

[roamer65]

24. It happens about once every 300 years.

It’s overdue.

https://www.oregon.gov/oem/hazardsprep/Pages/Cascadia-Subduction-Zone.aspx

[WA-03 Democrat]

11. Totally Agree

Everyone should try to have an emergency kit with enough to get through 3-5 days. No area is bullet proof.

[Cartoonist]

12. Who needs to wait?

I guess you haven't read about our fires, drought, and earthquakes.

[BigmanPigman]

13. CA has been learning from its past mistakes

and has made changes accordingly. We are ready for more natural disaster than most states since we have earthquakes, floods, drought, fires, and yes, even cold. We have the warning system, military and govt services all working together. There have been a lot of changes in several departments since 2000. We are aware of Climate Change and have been adjusting to the changing atmosphere.

[moonscape]

14. I've been earthquake-prepared since

Loma Prieta in ‘89. I do need to check every once in a while, i.e. update canned foods, etc, but have lots of water, cash, batteries, propane for my Coleman, etc. That said, there can never be enough water and I know after several days I’d start hurting.

Tip! Poopurri! I had some when the water went out and I wasn’t going to be able to flush for over a day. Sprayed it on the water and kept using that toilet. Zero smell. It works! That said, I have a porta potty in the attic from years ago that I could bring down also.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

16. We don't have to wait. COVID-19 happened....

and the whole nation was ill prepared.......

Then there's forest fires and the California Independent System Operator.

Mother Nature is giving the whole nation a big spanking.


KY........

[Shell_Seas]

17. What's wrong with California's infrastructure?

[Iggo]

18. Tell me more about me.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

36. You are not prepared for the coming invasion by zombie vampire locusts with head-mounted lasers.

[Iggo]

38. Well...you know...you ain't wrong!

[hlthe2b]

21. I think Californians are, by comparison night & day more prepared, given earthquake risk

wildfires, mudslides, and yes, blizzards in some areas. Yes, they have gone through utility problems and issues with their electrical grid, though different reasons than what Texas is facing (CA is at least responsible enough to regulate their utilities and to have shared grid opportunities with other states in the region).

I'm surprised though that you would California residents would be less so than Texas?

[msongs]

25. so cal quake means millions with no power or water and most with no equake supplies

so if the quake is bad enuff it will be the biggest natural disaster in california history. yes there are many who are prepared but most are not

[hlthe2b]

27. I contest this assumption. Yes, there will always be some unprepared, but the majority

in the highest risk areas for earthquakes can at least make it a week to ten days as is advised. Emergency Preparedness managers have been working on this for decades in California and most states, not only for natural disasters, but with added emphasis after 911 for terrorism/bioterrorism. My understanding from a HCW colleague-- now with FEMA-- is that California has been far more successful statistically than other states in accomplishing this.

Beyond that, yes, it will take massive help from the outside as it would ANYWHERE.

[ansible]

32. The people I know here are poor and can barely make ends meet

They can't even prepare for an unexpected hospital or car repair bill, much less prepare for an earthquake!

[hlthe2b]

37. That is problem everywhere, though it cost nothing to fill a few jugs with water and have

them stored nearby. There have been FEMA- sponsored programs** in some states that help the impoverished, including providing flashlights, water filters, canned goods, first aid kits in backpacks to assemble their "go bags"-- I remember seeing them passed out during the big push toward Preparedness after 911.

Given how many disasters CA has faced in recent decades, they should take such preparations seriously.

**

Perhaps you are just concerned and interested in exploring how you can help in California. Let me send you to your state's emergency response plan and agency where you can get more information and perhaps find ways to volunteer:
Ready California
https://www.caloes.ca.gov/ICESite/Pages/National-Preparedness-Month.aspx

[Alex4Martinez]

23. I'm 10 miles from the Loma Prieta epicenter, 50 feet from a "Leaving Tsunami Zone Sign", and...

This is what it looked like outside my window during the Santa Cruz wildfires/firestorm a couple months ago.



We have had several outages, they're normal now. I think I'll be fine. Fortunately it doesn't get cold here.

I have an inverter that lets my car generate power for my fridge and coffee machine, plenty of water and food stored.

The only down side is if cellular towers go down, which happened once during the various power outages.

This is climate change, we need to get used to it.

[Bev54]

29. So the fires in California were not a disaster?

Most people who live in earthquake zones are advised to have an earthquake kit to cover a week.

[Mr.Bill]

30. I've been through a 7.0 earthquake and many smaller ones.

I've been evacuated twice for fires and been through one week power outages and a handful of shorter ones. If you look in my spare freezer in my shed you will find 15 gallons of frozen water suitable for drinking and/or turning several large coolers into days of refrigeration, a 2,000 watt Honda generator, ten gallons of fuel with stabilizer in it, a fully packed go bag and first aid kit, all medications in one place to grab and go, enough dry and canned food for over a month, etc...

It sounds like a lot of people in Texas had none of this together.

[Hekate]

35. Sounds about right, & though we don't have a generator, the house came with a freezer in the garage

No idea how old that thing is, but it’s an upright that just keeps chugging along. There’s room in there for several one-gallon jugs of drinking water in addition to groceries, and during our last power outage I moved several jugs into the frig in the kitchen.

The go bag isn’t one as such, but I put a few necessities in my car’s trunk after we evacuated with nothing but the clothes on our back and the dog during a major fire. The box has toiletries, but also some T-shirts and undergarments. There’s a couple of shelves of important papers and meds in the pantry — I put a laundry basket underneath and can fill the basket with a sweep of my arm.

I have no idea what “preparedness” looks like in Texas — only what we need to do here. I am sorry for those people.

[Starry Messenger]

33. Um we had heatwaves, wildfires, orange skies and lightning storms

Just about six months or so ago?

I started prepping for grid failure here in 2016

[Hekate]

34. We have disasters all the damn time, thank you, & both citizens & the State are prepared...

...as best we can be. Shit happens. It’s not a surprise to us, and if we had a governor who acted like Abbott he’d be one sorry SOB.

You can’t be 100% prepped and safe, but you do what you can. And then when something awful happens, you hope others will be able to help you, from the Governor to the local Fire Dept.

I really feel for the Texans. The weather disaster has been exacerbated by decades of governmental greed and grift.