Living in Southern California I have the USGS map of my region bookmarked to my favorite websites. After any “incident” I can easily (and usually do) jump on the Internet to find out where the earthquake was centered and how big it was. While the USGS does an excellent job of posting initial information, from past experience I know it usually takes about 10 minutes for the exact time, location, and magnitude of an earthquake to appear on their website. This has become a favorite hobby of mine since being initiated into life with earthquakes by the famous Northridge quake in 1994.
We have been having a series of small quakes here the past few days. The activity started with a 3.9 rumbler west of La Jolla near the Channel Islands on Saturday. Conventional wisdom in California says that small earthquakes are good. They relieve pressure on the tectonic plates so that “the big one” is forestalled. People I talk to here say they believe the “big one” (an earthquake so huge it would plunge California into the Pacific Ocean) is inevitable and likely, but not in their lifetime.
The interesting thing about small quakes is that I usually hear them more than feel them. When the rumbling starts I wait for the telltale snap of the house settling before I know it wasn’t just a big truck driving by. Sometimes the rumbling ends with a loud bang. Most often it just fades away.
When people in California experience an earthquake they usually fly into a flurry of activity stockpiling food and water, and just generally preparing for an emergency. They check the batteries in the flashlight, the expiration date on the tuna, and the amount of drinkable water on hand. Satisfied, they heave a sigh of relief and go about their business until the next time the ground shakes. Some people here have become so used to the rumblings and movement they don’t even pay attention unless the noise is really loud and things start falling off the shelf.
Lately I have been hearing a lot of rumbling in the news, and not just out of Washington. Unlike the rumbling of earthquakes, these world-wide rumblings do not relieve pressure. And they do not fade away. In fact the opposite is true. These rumblings are building up to a future cataclysmic event - the “big one” of current events.
Not only that, but every day on TV I see things falling off the shelf world-wide at an alarming rate. Many people say they believe in "the big one" spiritually. But not in their lifetime and certainly not to the extent preachers tell it. They absolutely do not see current events as a precursor of things to come. To find the answer for myself, I turn to my favorite source of information to explain current events, the Bible. Unlike the USGS website, this book of information is accurate and doesn’t need to be updated. It already describes the outcome of current events and what to do to prepare. I have my spiritual flashlights, tuna, and water. Do you?
