esrosedotblog

DISASTERLESS

Every time there is a fire or earthquake out here, the emails start.

We are glad to get them because we know people care and are worried for our welfare.

Almost always, we are miles and miles away from the place they are writing about. California is a big place.

On the other hand, sometimes, we feel a bit singled out. People seem to think that we are about to slide into the Pacific on a mudslide or an earthquake. Or that we will burn to a crisp in the fires that have, I admit, become more frequent.

When we moved here, people seemed puzzled as to why we would want to go to a place that had so much hazard in it.

But our own perception is different. I have been in an earthquake. It took a few seconds. I have been in a hurricane. It took a lot longer for the danger to be over.

We know that we read about a hell of a lot more stuff happening back east than we get here.

Now we have some data.

Disaster area? Southern California has it made in the shade

It turns out that we are in one of the safest places in the country!

In any week, a whole lot more shit happens somewhere else than happens here.

For example, 400,000 and more people lost their electricity in a Northeast icestorm for most of last weekend and it all seemed to be a normal thing.

Then there are the hurricanes. The flooding rivers. The tornadoes. The tropical storms. The nor'easters.

Somehow the balance of disasters, what some call the "random acts of god", seem to be distributed across an area that is located anywhere else but here.

Labels: California, life, nature