From: tpickett@auspex.com (Tom Pickett)
Newsgroups: ca.earthquakes
Subject: Re: San Francisco Earthquake 89
Date: 12 Nov 92 15:40:44 GMT
Reply-To: tpickett@auspex.com (Tom Pickett)
Organization: Auspex Systems, Inc.  Engineering

In article <1dsdflINNj1h@male.EBay.Sun.COM>, 49ers@eb5ts4.EBay.Sun.COM (Renie 
Maycon) writes:
> I want to know what you were doing when the earthquake hit 
> 
> tell me what you were doing and where were you?


 I was conducting a Soccer practice (AYSO) in Cupertino 
with 14 seven to eight year olds, alone and without any additional adult
help.  It hit while I was explaining a passing maneuver to them.  I heard a
loud rumble first and then the first waves moved over us, and the kids all
got very upset.  When the secondary waves hit us, we were knocked down on the
ground, and I remember thinking, "If this keeps up it could be quite a
'quake."

I will never forget the sensation of the solid earth moving under my
feet.  I don't think there is anything quite like being outside on
the ground while the only thing you ever though of as solid just sort
of becomes jelly under you.

I remember the trees on either side of the soccer field making a
swishing sound as they swayed back and forth. The most ominous thing
about it though was the sound of the two story houses across the street
jump-ing up and down on their foundations.  I can't describe the sound
but it was really scary.

After the main quake passed, I tried to calm the kids by having them
remain on the ground, and telling them to relax, "if it had been a
really bad quake, you would see smoke from burning buildings."

Of course at that moment a column of smoke rose into the sky south of
us from a fire of unkown origin.  After several aftershocks, we moved 
to my car and listened to KCBS after they came back on line. The kids
were all very concerned about their parents.  Because of the instant
gridlock that occured in Cupertino, it took about an hour and a half
before the parents managed to get to us.

It was the longest 1.5 hours of my life.  My 2 year old was at a daycare
(2 story), 3 miles away and my wife was at work in the port of Redwood City
on an island adjacent to a swamp.  She wasn't able to get home for
several hours.  Turned out everyone was ok, but my 20-gallon fish
tank fell over, shattered, and the floors subsequently warped,
my carpet was ruined.  Strangely enough my catfish survived.

No other damage other than my collection of shot glasses which moved from 
a cabinet in the kitchen to the living room without a scratch.  I have
child locks on the cabinet for glasses and for our dishes now, in case
another quake comes.  I keep 12 gallons of bottled water handy as well
as canned goods for survival purposes.  Ever since I started flying I
have had a survival kit in the garage.  Fortunately my house is on
bedrock, (350 ft Msl) so we are not in too bad a spot.

The neighborhood spent until 11:00 that night out on our lawns watching
the battery TVs.  I even saw Air Force Two come into Moffett NAS as
Dan Quayle flew up from Southern Ca (followed them in on my Aviation
scanner) to survey the damage.


Tom Pickett 
tpickett@auspex.com or 74616.2237@compuserve.com
SHO  GOZE
Newsgroups: ca.earthquakes