Aftershocks

        Today I learned that 24 years ago in 1989 a massive earthquake had hit the San Francisco Bay area. I attend San Jose City College and today as a prevention we were notified that we were going to be doing an earthquake drill. My Chicano culture class professor was in the middle of lecture when this happened. He didn't follow through with the drill but assumed everyone knew what they were supposed to do. Basically crawl under your desk and pray for the best.
        I grew up in Illinois and have experienced a few earthquakes there as well, but a bigger fear of mine was tornadoes. After educating myself on wikipedia about the great 1989 earthquake, I'm more afraid of earthquakes now. They are unpredictable and unknown how much damage they can do. It's not like you can look at a forecast and see how big it can be or the location which you sometimes can do with hurricanes and tornadoes. I can see why this kind of natural disaster can put so much fear into people.
       The earthquakes I have felt while living in Illinois because of the fault line there are trivial to what can happen here in California based on history. The San Francisco bay area (where we live) has seen two great earthquakes in 1906 and 1989 that did major damage and caused many casualties and injuries. We have been told many times by our friends and family that they would be scared to live here because of the earthquakes. We would usually laugh at them but now I'm rethinking that and might slightly agree with them.
       My uncle Rick was living out here in the Willow Glen area of San Jose when the quake of 1989 hit. He said his bicycle flew across the room! Its scary to think that a family member was out here during that time. Now I know how my family and friends must feel.
        In preparation for a big quake I think it would be a good idea to put together an earthquake emergency kit just in case.
Water- Stockpiling multiple gallons of water in case underground pipes seize. You can survive without water but only to a certain extent.
Flashlights with extra batteries- The electricity will probably go out and might be out for days. Navigating your house or even on the streets at night can be very difficult or unsafe when everything is pitch black.
Food and a medical supply kit- Keeping some perishable food items on hand is a good idea just in case you are stuck at home. Medical supplies would be extremely helpful if there were any injuries to you or your family.

This list is just a general idea of what I think might be needed in case of an earthquake. If you have any additions to make please let me know in the comments section!