Saturday, April 23, 2011

Reflection 7: Shaking Things Up—Living in Earthquake Country

Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake















California is earthquake country. We all know it. We should all be prepared. We all expect "The Big One" to come ... someday. But aside from the occasional tremblor, it's sometimes easy to forget about just how perilous the place we call home can be. Yet, as we recently witnessed in Japan, living in an earthquake-prone area can have devastating impacts. Here at home, the East Bay's Hayward Fault, called the most dangerous urban fault in America, sits under two and a half million residents. In fact, all of California's major cities lay on or near potentially catastrophic fault lines. And yet, we stay put. Why? Why do we put ourselves at so much risk to live here—and why are so many others still clamoring to live here? Is California worth the risk? How often do you think of the dangers of earthquakes? Do they impact your life on a daily basis? Finally, are you prepared for a major quake?

Requirements:
  • MLA format
  • 2 pages minimum

Due: We 4.27 / Th 4.28

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