So this week has certainly been interesting! Earthquakes and flash flood watches and hurricanes, oh my! Mother Nature is laughing, maybe?
For starters, I have a fascination with nature. And natural hazards, okay - disasters, are no less fascinating. Back in the day I used to check the USGS website daily to check out where in the world earthquakes were occurring and if there were any volcanoes erupting. I watch the Weather Channel to see hurricane coverage and tornado footage. My heart goes out to people affected by these natural disasters, but I have to be honest and say that natural phenomena are fascinating.
Tuesday’s earthquake was not my first earthquake, nor do I wish it to be the last like some people in the region wish. I do not know if I am not freaked simply because I understand this is a natural phenomenon which occurs worldwide on a daily basis, or if I just am not freaked because I understand these earthquakes are so incredibly small. I do not rightly think, however, I want to experience an earthquake on the scale of the ones which are still happening in Japan, or like the one yesterday in Peru.
One thing I do wish is that people in general would broadly educate themselves on the lack of severity of these aftershocks we are experiencing in our region. The world is not going to end because Virginia is shaking a little bit. The likelihood of an imminent larger earthquake is a huge improbability here. I see Facebook postings and comments here and there from people (whom I do not know!) who literally seem to think that there is no end in sight and that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Earthquakes are not the effect of us abusing our planet nor from us making someone or something mad. Flash floods are a part of life in the summer. Hurricanes will still happen after we ourselves are dead and our bones are long gone. It is Nature. Nature at her best or worst - whichever side of the coin you want to look at.
To be fair, some of these things are scary. I, in no way ever, want to be trapped in a flash flood. And tornadoes scare the living crap out of me; I hope to never personally experience one. However, I do want to ask some of those people whose comments I have read if they personally had any damage from Tuesday’s quake. There were no casualties. Some relatively minor regional damage, but that is all. This area does not have the building codes earthquake-prone areas have. Now, if we had a quake with large scale damage, injuries, and casualties, I could totally understand, appreciate, and most likely take my part in having jitters.
Media and immediate access to information has made humans in general much more aware of natural disasters. Media and people, sadly, have now taken this awareness and allow themselves to panic to the extreme. Because of awesome technology, people see what earthquakes and tsunamis can do and see the utter devastation they leave behind. They can see the F5 tornado damage through pictures. But not every hurricane is an Andrew. Not every tornado is a Joplin. Not every earthquake generates a Japan or Indonesia tsunami. Yet, that is what people seem to expect.
Right now the media has done nothing in our area to squelch the jitters. There have only been reports of how this was the biggest earthquake in over 100 years and that more are to come. No one has pointed out explicitly that there are earthquakes world-wide that are 5.8 on a fairly regular basis. Colorado had a earthquake the same day we did. They are also having aftershocks; yet Colorado is not making front page news. Peru had one today that was much stronger than what we experienced. I hate how media spins panic. And how people thrive on worst case scenarios.
Wonder what will happen when the aliens finally make themselves entirely known?
No comments:
Post a Comment