<p>i've lived in southern california all my life and i've never even thought about earthquakes until that article came out about the "next big earthquake" in LA. assuming the big one happens while i'm at usc, is there any significant danger?</p>
<p>wouldn't it depend on how serious the earth quake is?</p>
<p>but i'm curious too.. what do college students do when there's an earthquake on campus.</p>
<p>USC handled the Northridge earthquake rather well. As soon as everyone was out and safe, they had the students call their parents. My SIL's best friend's son was out here then. He was from NJ. He was able to contact his mom before I contacted him.</p>
<p>I was about 5 miles from Northridge when that quake hit.</p>
<p>All the major universities were ready for the inevitable quake, and they handled them well. USC was no exception.</p>
<p>The issue with a big quake isn't "if" it's "when." Will it be a gigantic quake of doom? Probably not. But this is a seismically active area, and it's best to remain aware of the possibility of a bad quake happening.</p>
<p>i actually lived in northridge when it hit and we drove through LA that following week and the universities looked fine... i think they are built well (i saw ucla and usc)... all the malls were toast though, the northridge mall was absoltely demolished...</p>
<p>that's funny that you brought this up today. it's the 13th anniversary of the northridge earthquake. (well, sorta haha. it was on MLK Jr day 13 years ago but it landed on january 17th in 1994)</p>
<p>There was a bit of talk about earthquake preparadness last semester. The school hosted an Emergency Preparedness Fair, with representatives from the different university departments as well as emergency officials from the city and county. USC has many resources prepositioned for use after a catastrophe, including water filtration systems and packaged food. </p>
<p>In the event of an emergency, it's somewhat unclear what the school expects students to be responsible for. Ideally, every student would have enough supplies to be self-sufficient for 2-3 days, though I think few Trojans have made plans for that.</p>
<p>My main concern is the physical security of the campus and students. USC is already in an urban area, and unrest could follow any disaster. The DPS officer with whom I spoke said the department has a security plan which they last used during the Rodney King riots. Officers would be stationed at all entrances to the campus, and only students and staff would be allowed in.</p>
<p>Daily Trojan articles on last semester's fair:
<a href="http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2006/10/26/News/sc.Preps.For.Emergencies-2403379.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailytrojan.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com%5B/url%5D">http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2006/10/26/News/sc.Preps.For.Emergencies-2403379.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailytrojan.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com</a>
<a href="http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2006/10/11/News/Safety.Procedures.A.Problem.For.Students-2343714.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailytrojan.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com%5B/url%5D">http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2006/10/11/News/Safety.Procedures.A.Problem.For.Students-2343714.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailytrojan.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com</a></p>
<p>Segment from Annenberg TV News:
<a href="http://www.atvn.org/index.php/stories/player/earthquake_preparedness/%5B/url%5D">http://www.atvn.org/index.php/stories/player/earthquake_preparedness/</a></p>
<p>Detailed plans for University Park Campus:
<a href="http://capsnet.usc.edu/EmergencyPlanning/WebDocs/UPC%20Plan.doc%5B/url%5D">http://capsnet.usc.edu/EmergencyPlanning/WebDocs/UPC%20Plan.doc</a></p>
<p>During the riots in 1992, part of the reason it got so bad was because the LAPD dropped the ball when they were needed. USC DPS executed their job very well and despite the close proximity to the riots (all the way right up to vermont street) the campus and students were completely unharmed.</p>
<p>Everyone should be aware of what to do during an earthquake - those raised in california should know by heart already, and people OOS who don't come from earthquake-y areas should learn. DPS has excellent information, but here's a few points:</p>
<ul>
<li>Keep a safe reserve of several day's drinking water, flashlight+batteries, essential medications+first aid kit (as medical supplies may be limited), etc.</li>
<li>When an earthquake happens, don't panic. Try and get to a safe area, where nothing can fall on you</li>
</ul>
<p>Remember, most fatalities during a small-to-medium-size earthquake (in the developed world, at least) are due to heart attacks, because of the sudden shock - not the actual earthquake itself.</p>
<p>and for the love of all that is holy, don't run outside where trees, power lines, and buildings can fall on you.</p>
<p>I'm suprised nobody has mentioned it yet, but USC has made it a point to retrofit the older buildings on campus to handle seismic conditions better. They're definitely doing their best to make sure an earthquake won't bring the campus to its knees.</p>
<p>any chance the earthquake will only hit UCLA?</p>
<p>
[quote]
any chance the earthquake will only hit UCLA?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Boo this. Boo you. Boos all around. </p>
<br>
<p>:-(</p>
<br>
<p>Perhaps I should not point this out, but...</p>
<p>Most people remember Poseidon as the Greek god of the seas, but he was also the god of earthquakes. In greek mythology, Poseidon builds the famous walls of Troy, but after being betrayed by the Trojan prince Laomedon, Poseidon turns against Troy and sends a sea monster to terrorize the city (that is later slayed by Heracles), and later supports the Greek Agamemnon in the Trojan War of Homer's Illiad. Afterward, Poseidon does intervene to save the Trojan hero Aeneas (the main character in Virgil's Aeneid) from being killed by Achilles. Later, in the Aeneid, Poseidon saves the Trojan navy from destruction, albeit reluctantly, still remaining continually bitter of the Trojans.</p>
<p>And that, my friends, is why Los Angeles and USC have earthquakes :)</p>
<p>I have lived in California my entire life (over 50 years), in several different counties, and I have experienced numerous earthquakes, a few of which have been considered major. I do not fear earthquakes. I probably should have more of a healthy respect for them, but to the contrary, I actually find them moderately enjoyable. I have never suffered personal injury, or property damage, and had either of those been the case, maybe I would feel differently about them. I lived in Los Angeles area during the 1971 San Fernando 6.5 earthquake. As best I recall, it shook pretty hard, but I don't recall being afraid. I lived in the Eureka area in 1980 during the 7.2 earthquake. It was probably the scariest earthquake I have experienced. It was a long lasting, strong rolling earthquake. It seemed to last forever. It caused a bridge to collapse near Ferndale (30 miles south of Eureka). It occurred at night, and woke us - so that may have been part of the reason for the memory that it left. I lived just north of San Francisco in 1989 during the 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake. It was close to dinner time. We were awake. It also lasted a long time, but we did not feel afraid. I don't mean to minimize them, but in a way, it is like an amusement park ride. I apologize, to anyone who has experienced personal injury or major property damage, for my light hearted characterization. I guess that I am only trying to calm those who live in fear of experiencing an earthquake. I am personally much more afraid of a tornado or a hurricane. </p>
<p>As for the "big one". Yes, there probably will be one. As someone earlier in the thread commented, it is probably is a matter of when, and not if. On the other hand, I do recall in the 70's all the talk and predictions about California sliding off into the ocean (after the big one). There was even a song about it. Yet, here were are, 30-35 years later.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Remember, most fatalities during a small-to-medium-size earthquake (in the developed world, at least) are due to heart attacks, because of the sudden shock - not the actual earthquake itself.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Wow! Did not know this.</p>
<p>This is my particular area of expertise(I'm actually quoted in one of the DT articles!). The LA river basin, of which USC is a part, is actually not in quite as much danger as other parts of Southern California. A simple way to understand this is to look at the landscape. USC is in a rather flat area, while anywhere where there are hills or mountains (like La Canada, where I'm originally from), there is greater seismic activity. While there are some fault lines around USC, they aren't the ones people discuss when the are referring to "The Big One" (for which we are about 20 years overdue). That Earthquake would probably be on the San Andreas fault, which is North of campus. While there would certainly still be shaking around campus, it wouldn't be the epicenter of the earthquake. As was previously mentioned, social unrest would probably be the biggest problem. DPS should handle that pretty well. As for what you, as a student can do to prepare, I would suggest always having a flashlight somewhere near your bed, and making sure that there aren't too many heavy, unsecured things in the area. The buildings at USC are all mainly up to code, but that doesn't guarantee that what people bring inside of them is. Things such as computers and TVs flying around are possible. The technical thing to do when an earthquake occurs is to get under a table, bed, or desk and cover your neck with your hands. How much your hands will help is debatable, but getting under things is helpful. One commonly thought thing that is WRONG is to get under a doorway. Don't! It only helps in a reinforced way if it is the doorway to outside, and you are far more likely to break a few fingers when the door forcibly shuts itself with your hand in the way.</p>
<p>make sure you flee SGM and meet on the south steps of GFS just in case Dr. Quinlan's beige volvo doesn't make it! (corny inside joke for everyone who's taken chem 105a)</p>
<p>Hee Hee. I remember that!</p>
<p>Dang it I'm from state with lots of tornadoes but never earthquakes. I mean at least you can see tornadoes coming right at you (you can dodge but sucks for you if your house is in the way)</p>
<p>Right after i get used to one disaster I move to another state with yet another natural disaster, puu.</p>