Well said, is there a donation site set up for it yet? (that you know of)

It would wonderful if the world took after California, Japan, & even Mexico City (to some degree) for building code (even in places that aren't in constant earthquake threat) and Japan and the West Coast for tsunami warning systems.

The only thing I would disagree with is the comment:
"even in Mexico, people still run out of their homes when earthquakes hit. Out! Not in. That's how well-built the structures are. We can do better."

In a large earthquake, its wise to get out of the building after the shaking stops because even in California the buildings are designed to survive the quake and long enough afterwards so you can get out of it. We still can't build the perfect building, but we can build a darn good one that gives you a fighting chance to get out alive.

Now building that can't survive a moderate shake and still be in the realm of useable is uncalled for and should be fixed. But as far as bigger earthquakes, my butt is running out of the building for some open space.

What did you do in '94?

I was referring above to people leaving a building while the shaking is still going on, which isn't wise, at least where buildings are decently constructed.

Afterward, the thing to do is check for gas leaks, and turn the gas off if necessary. Then you can assess the damage and figure out if the structure is still safe.

In '94 I slept through the earthquake other than that I was in the 8th grade. But since then seismic design was one of my major requirements (we got to break model builings and shattered rienforced concret beams, and did concree compression tests quite fun really..well except when I founf out 4 & 5 ksi concrete can explode under pressure) and I get to see it again on the PE exam for CA.

Running in and out of buildings durring the earthquake isn't wise period and is more a result of people not knowing what to do durring the earthquake. Living with a non-california person during a minor trembler in college was a reminder of how what to do is almost second nature. I wouldn't be running out of the high-rise durring shaking, get hit by some granite facing, that would hurt a lot.

I agree that in many parts of the world that decent and construction aren't really used in the same sentence, its a huge problem. We are lucky in California, even though some people take all we know for granted think it means buildings are indistructable.

To be clear tho I'm not a proeffsional seismic guy, I'm more on the environmental side hydraulics, water/wastewater, solid waste, pollution, haz waste, biosolids and the such. But I'm still required to atleast know the fundamental concepts of the other aspects civil engineering (structures & siesmic) since we do design structures from time to time.

Gosh, I knew you were young, but . . . ;)

I know I'd rather be here during an earthquake than anywhere else: our structures are designed to take it (within limits, of course), and we mostly know what to do.

Any thoughts I might have had about indestructability of structures was cast in doubt during the Northridge quake, and finished off by 9/11.

Did you see L.A. Story? Nice earthquake scene, there.

Another civil engineer? cool!
I don't do structures though. I'll probably start and end my career in the same place, deep in the bowels of this public water utility I work for.

2 hours is plenty of time to evacuate people unfortuneatly geophysisits ( bad spelling) probalby arent listened to and governments are to scared to carry out mass evacuations because of panic but yet could have saved so many lives if they just swallowed thier pride and looked at helping people not worring about thier economy.

Yup still a young buck.

LA Story, might of seen it on TBS when I was in Kindergarden. :P

DC- Where I work we do mostly the Environmental side of it. I couldn't bring myself to work for a Public/Government Agency, just felt like it would be feeding the beast. That and ever person I couldn't stand in school went to work for public angencies so it was stress avoidance too.