By Jackie Tang
A collapsed bridge, cars thrown like toys, highways destroyed, rubble and bricks everywhere-- destruction. Have you ever been in a natural disaster? Hurricanes? Earthquakes? Fires? Even mudslides? What did it feel like afterwards? How much did it affect you? Natural disasters aren’t something you can predict happening, but it can be too late when you notice one. What are they, you ask?
Natural disasters, mostly earthquakes, happen suddenly and can’t be predicted. Some think they won’t happen until it’s too late. When these disasters happen, they can take a lot of lives and people can lose family, relatives, and even their friends.
This year had intermittent earthquakes, and scientists and geologists don’t know what caused them exactly. Many assumed that climate change has something to do with other natural disasters, but not earthquakes. For example, a lot of earthquakes have happened recently in the state of California. Some notables one were during winter break. There were two consecutive earthquakes: a 3.9 on December 27th and a 4.5 on January 4th. Both of these were felt by many, the first occurred at 10:39pm and the other at 2:39am. Although some slept through the latter, others were woken up by it.
I felt both of them and was in a state of fear afterwards. The shaking lasted for 5-10 seconds for both. The ground started shaking like someone was taking huge steps and it seemed that the bed I was laying on was going to collapse any minute. What’s scary about this is that this is foreshadowing what is it called the “Big One.”
Natural disasters, mostly earthquakes, happen suddenly and can’t be predicted. Some think they won’t happen until it’s too late. When these disasters happen, they can take a lot of lives and people can lose family, relatives, and even their friends.
This year had intermittent earthquakes, and scientists and geologists don’t know what caused them exactly. Many assumed that climate change has something to do with other natural disasters, but not earthquakes. For example, a lot of earthquakes have happened recently in the state of California. Some notables one were during winter break. There were two consecutive earthquakes: a 3.9 on December 27th and a 4.5 on January 4th. Both of these were felt by many, the first occurred at 10:39pm and the other at 2:39am. Although some slept through the latter, others were woken up by it.
I felt both of them and was in a state of fear afterwards. The shaking lasted for 5-10 seconds for both. The ground started shaking like someone was taking huge steps and it seemed that the bed I was laying on was going to collapse any minute. What’s scary about this is that this is foreshadowing what is it called the “Big One.”
The “Big One” is what we call the big earthquake California is overdue to experience for the past few decades. There’s a chance it will happen within the next 30 or so years. Geologists, from the United States Geological Survey, have predicted this earthquake will have a magnitude of over 7.0 and cause over a thousand casualties, and possibly be as bad as the 1989 Loma Prieta or 1906 quake. The last quake to break a 7 point magnitude was back in 1906 in San Francisco, killing 3 thousand.
Carlos Arciniega, a senior at Yerba Buena High School, said he felt a small earthquake as it happened when he was younger, but stated climate change possibly, “caused other natural disasters but not earthquakes.”. He says that they happen when parts of the Earth collide or move against each other. He also states that kids should know about this because they can know what to tell their families to do for themselves when one hits, depending on where they are. It’s better to be prepared than not to prepare at all.
According to Express.co.uk, the 7 earthquakes that rumbled back in December caused fear to spread among citizens after they happened out of nowhere. This also had caused even more fear for the “Big One,” and people began to to fear it now more than ever.
Geologists claim that the quakes struck near the Hayward fault and the “Big One” is just a “tectonic time bomb” waiting to happen. Essentially, it’s a big earthquake due to happen at any moment now. It could even happen tomorrow, in the next week, or the next 30 years.
In general, you can't predict when a earthquake will happen, but you can learn how to prepare for one and what to do when one strikes, especially a big one. The “Big One” is due to strike any time within the next 30 or so years and geologists determine when it will happen, but it’s better to prepare now than not at all. Not preparing at all can have horrible consequences on your friends, loved ones, even your family too.
My call to action to readers is that the “Big One” is going to happen sooner rather than later in the next 3 decades. If you’re not prepared for it, it can have massive and horrible consequences. So whether you think it will happen or not, it’s better to prepare now than not try at all. Once it strikes, thousands will die and destruction will be catastrophic.
Carlos Arciniega, a senior at Yerba Buena High School, said he felt a small earthquake as it happened when he was younger, but stated climate change possibly, “caused other natural disasters but not earthquakes.”. He says that they happen when parts of the Earth collide or move against each other. He also states that kids should know about this because they can know what to tell their families to do for themselves when one hits, depending on where they are. It’s better to be prepared than not to prepare at all.
According to Express.co.uk, the 7 earthquakes that rumbled back in December caused fear to spread among citizens after they happened out of nowhere. This also had caused even more fear for the “Big One,” and people began to to fear it now more than ever.
Geologists claim that the quakes struck near the Hayward fault and the “Big One” is just a “tectonic time bomb” waiting to happen. Essentially, it’s a big earthquake due to happen at any moment now. It could even happen tomorrow, in the next week, or the next 30 years.
In general, you can't predict when a earthquake will happen, but you can learn how to prepare for one and what to do when one strikes, especially a big one. The “Big One” is due to strike any time within the next 30 or so years and geologists determine when it will happen, but it’s better to prepare now than not at all. Not preparing at all can have horrible consequences on your friends, loved ones, even your family too.
My call to action to readers is that the “Big One” is going to happen sooner rather than later in the next 3 decades. If you’re not prepared for it, it can have massive and horrible consequences. So whether you think it will happen or not, it’s better to prepare now than not try at all. Once it strikes, thousands will die and destruction will be catastrophic.