TORRANCE TRIBUNE August 23, 2012 Page 7 TerriAnn in Torrance Shake and Bake By TerriAnn Ferren underneath so I felt a little roll and a shake.” Did you feel it? Saturday morning at 8:33 I asked Leslie if it scared her and she said, a.m., I was awakened by a small jolt that “No, the bigger ones usually scare me. We was unmistakably an earthquake. I waited for have them so often now if you blink you more rumblings, but nothing came. I looked miss them.” Then I asked Leslie if she thinks around the room. Nothing was disturbed. At there is anything to “earthquake weather” and this point, I began to doubt myself and think she said, “Could be. A lot of the earthquake that I had dreamt the whole thing, but being experts they think it does, whereas some an expert in riding out earthquakes, I knew people who have been studying earthquakes I wasn’t mistaken. for a long time who aren’t scientists say it Living my whole life in Southern California, has nothing to do with it.” I am vested in earthquake detection – at least Bonniegay Bacon told me she felt the when they are strong enough to feel. But the earthquake and so did her cat, Shadow. “She small jolt, albeit not a great shake, reminded Shadow sleeps on the foot of my bed and me that I should update my earthquake bolted,” Bonniegay said. preparedness kit at home and in my car. I The strength of earthquakes is measured remember when I was little I would look by the Richter scale, developed by Charles F. at the kitchen light which hung from the Richter in 1934. The scale goes from 1 – 10, ceiling to see if it was swinging to be sure but the scale is limitless and can go beyond if it was an earthquake that I felt. Although the top number we usually imagine as the we did have “sonic booms” long ago, there greatest and the intensity increases tenfold at was a difference in the shaking of the house each advancing number. For example, each whole number means the earthquakes happen many miles down toward you to check out the website and volunteer magnitude goes up 10 the core of the earth and the weather that for one of the programs available. If you times. So the intensity affects maybe the one mile crust of the earth are a ham radio operator, your services are from a 2.0 earthquake has no correlation to any sort of earthquake welcome under TARA (Torrance Amateur to a 3.0 earthquake is 10 movement. Dr. Jones added that it is interesting Radio Association) and if you would like to times as great. But most to note that we think earthquake weather is assist in the City response program, check earthquakes are very small when it is hot and still – but our parents/ out CERT (Community Emergency Response and barely felt. grandparents believe earthquake weather is Team). Lieutenant Hector Bermudez loves Scouring the news when it is cold and icy – depending upon his job and lives in Torrance. He graduated for information on the where they were when they felt a large from Narbonne High School and told me earthquake that awakened earthquake. Somehow, that explanation made he has always wanted to be a policeman. me, I finally discovered a whole lot of common sense. Basically, just from www.earthquake. because an earthquake happens during one usgs.gov it was a 3.4 season of the year doesn’t mean earthquakes earthquake that hit on only happen during that time. Saturday, August 11, 2012 Born in Santa Monica and raised in Malibu at 8:33:03 a.m. located and Westchester, Dr. Jones is married to a 33.828 degrees North, seismologist and lives in Southern California. 118.571 degrees West, 5.3 I asked Dr. Jones if she always wanted to be miles deep, and 13 miles a geologist and she said no. She told me, “I West of Torrance. The had no physics in college,” but after meeting earthquake was centered a geophysicist who got her interested in the in the Channel Islands field she said she got “…completely hooked Region of California. and read the entire textbook in one week.” I then decided to check A graduate with a Ph.D. in geophysics from Leslie Cortez. Photo by TerriAnn Ferren. with the leading authority the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, between an earthquake and a sonic boom. I on earthquakes that I had come to rely on and a graduate of Brown University (Magna can remember adults talking about “earthquake through the years, and that person could only Cum Laude), Dr. Jones has written over 90 weather” and it seemed ominous. I decided be Dr. Lucy Jones, Senior Science Advisor papers on research seismology with a focus to check with other people and see if they for the National Hazards Mission of the US in physics, earthquakes, foreshocks, and thought there was any credence in the notion Geological Survey. She heads the science earthquake hazard assessment, especially in Lieutenant Hector Bermudez. Photo by TerriAnn Ferren. that the weather could predict the rumblings planning for natural hazards research and Southern California. Coming up this October “I have four sisters and a younger brother. under our feet. has been a Visiting Research Associate at the 18is the Great California ShakeOut! This is a I got involved with the Explorer Program Sunday afternoon, I asked Leslie Cortez Seismological Laboratory of Caltech since drill to practice what cities, counties, schools, with the Sheriff’s Department when I was if she felt the earthquake. “I was in bed, 1983. Dr. Jones is an expert in geophysics hospitals, utilities, etc. would need to do or sixteen and it gave me the idea that I really taking a nap – it was a long day. I was hot and seismology and was the calming voice be aware of during an actual earthquake. wanted to be a policeman. I have been a and turning my fan on and opening up all back on April 23, 1992 when the 6.1 Joshua This program grew out of Dr. Jones’ project policeman 19 years. I was assigned to the my windows trying to get all situated to Tree earthquakes hit the South Bay and all (ShakeOut Earthquake Scenario) that led to mall for years, internal affairs and detective,” cool my house down and I laid down and of Southern California. Broadcasting on The Great California ShakeOut! said Lieutenant Bermudez. felt a little shake. I live on the second story television and radio from Caltech shortly after At this point, I decided to check with the All this information on preparing for an on top of a garage unit, so I feel everything the quake while holding her sleeping son in City of Torrance and see what our Community earthquake made me do a mental walk through twice as much as everyone else. It is hollow his pajamas, Dr. Jones answered questions Affairs Division Commander, Lieutenant my own preparations. Everything from water about the magnitude, probable Hector Bermudez, who heads the Community to my crank radio is set, but I need to get aftershocks and all the other Services, Community Affairs, and Emergency some sort of preparation kit for my car. questions thrown at her. She Services (including Earthquake Preparedness) Although the shake last Saturday morning brought a calming assurance for the City, had to say about the upcoming was tiny, it was enough to get me thinking. to everyone, including me. ShakeOut! Waiting in the vacant lobby of the We all need to make sure we are prepared for And again in 1994 after the Torrance Police Department, I looked around an earthquake. And don’t forget, although the 6.7 Northridge earthquakes, at the vintage photographs on an easel next weather is warm and the wind is still, there it was Dr. Jones who was to the information window. I thought about is nothing to that notion that it is earthquake the calming voice among the how things have changed since Chief Don weather. Dr. Lucy Jones said so! • shattered nerves. Nash was in charge. Things are certainly Monday morning I was high-tech now. Lieutenant Bermudez met me fortunate enough to speak and escorted me upstairs to his office inside with Dr. Jones in between the police station. The Emergency Operations “If you live to be a hundred, her varied meetings and busy Center and the Incident Command Center schedule. I asked her if there are all located within the Torrance Police I want to live to be a is such a thing as earthquake Department. All of the departments in the hundred minus one day weather and she said, “There City of Torrance are involved with disaster so I never have to live is absolutely no correlation preparedness. The website, www.torranceca. whatsoever.” She explained to gov, is filled with all the information on without you. me that psychologically, people preparation for all aspects of the community ~ A.A. Milne, want to identify some sort of – including animals. Actually, I was very pattern in earthquakes so they impressed with everything the City has done Winnie-the-Pooh have, as she said, “the illusion to prepare for emergencies. And Torrance will of control”, but it just isn’t so. participate in the Great California ShakeOut! She went on to tell me that on October 18, 2012 at 10:18 a.m. I encourage
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