The Really Big One

"The Really Big One" by Kathryn Schulz is a really terrifying article about the inevitable earthquake that is coming to our demise. Schulz describes the disturbing effects of the Cascadia earthquake and tsunami that we have known about for roughly 45 years. It is estimated that “nearly thirteen thousand people will die…another twenty-seven thousand will be injured, and…shelter will be needed for a million displaced people, and food and water for another two and a half million.” If those statistics don’t make you wonder why American’s aren’t doing anything to prepare for this natural disaster, then I don’t know what will. Before reading this article, I was unaware of the Cascadia earthquake. Maybe that is because I don’t live in an area that will be affected by the earthquake and tsunami but just a few years ago I went on vacation to California and still never heard about this earthquake. That scares me and I don’t think I would want to vacation there again knowing what could possibly happen while I am there. Why are people not talking about this? If I do not want to visit the area that has a potential for an 8-9.5 earthquake, then why are people living there not doing anything to prepare? Perhaps humans believe that nothing bad will happen to them and therefore do not need to prepare for such events. There are so many lifesaving functions that can be currently put in place in order to prepare and minimize the effects of the earthquake as much as possible. However, none of these things are being put in place. I do not believe that the people within the possibly affected area should live everyday of their lives in fear; however, I do believe that they should take some basic steps to protect themselves and those around them in order to understand the inherent risks and work to alleviate some of them.