Hi Martin,

You made a very important point. People are still not in the mood to take affirmative
action for seismic preparedness. Everyone who lives in a seismic risk zone knows the
potential exists for heavy property damage and minor to excessive loss of life. As I
have found my keys words this year in asking this question, it personifies the questions
most of us should be asking about almost everything. “Why is this, this way?”

1. If you don’t prepare, it won’t happen to you anyway, so why bring about that line of
thinking.

2. So what if it does? I’ll either repair the damage or walk away from my property
investment.

3. How many people can afford to lose their homes, with a mortgage still owning and
also pay for a maximum loan of $100,000 from FEMA at 8%? Most cannot qualify. It’s a simple
truth. The elderly are hit the hardest. Their homes are their investments to pay for
future care in the event they have to be placed in a nursing facility for their remaining
days. Most of them own their homes outright. However, if you don’t work, FEMA
isn’t going to give you a loan you can’t qualify for. We must also remember FEMA will
not come into the picture unless the government declares the area a natural disaster. If
the quake is under your house, but less than 1,000 people suffered damages, chances
are, FEMA isn’t going to arrive to help anyone.

4. If you do buy earthquake insurance, no matter how high that deductible is, you can
look forward to being made nearly whole after an earthquake and your deductible can
either be borrowed from FEMA or your personal bank. Who wants to give up their
home, the one they invested love, care and fond memories, just to save money to
protect the most important asset they own?

5. The average FEMA loan after Loma Prieta took three months. If your house is red
tagged and you don’t have insurance, how many people can afford to live anywhere
else for three months? This is a grim reality.

6. The sad truth about all of this is that there is no communication being delivered to
the public on a regular on-going basis that emphasizes the need to become prepared. If
we can be taught that Cola Cola is the best soft drink ever, then earthquake
preparedness can be sold to all residents of a seismic risk zone with a little flair, and a
whole new way of looking at what most would consider a chore. Next year they’ll do
it, next month they’ll start saving water. They won’t worry because John Q. Public who
lives next door is fully prepared. No doubt he’ll be willing to share with his neighbors.

One thing that has caught my eye of late in doing some research, is when I come across
an institute, government sponsored web site or universities is that all of them offer an
“outreach program.” But in Sonoma County I have yet to witness them outreaching to
me or my neighbors to help us become educated to be prepared, or those here reaching
out to them and saying, “help us, we need to know.” There is a definite need to pour
this education out to the public in every form of media available and keep it going, but
with a new fresh approach with every message.

Now having come full circle, in asking “why is this, this way?” It is this way because
there are not enough hands at the wheel to push for this kind of support, even though
the funding is available. We still need voices who care, volunteer support and those in
the science community who wish to get out, roll up their sleeves and let people know,
you can survive, with an education on how to do so.

You wanna bet my neighbors are sick to death of hearing me asking them if they are
ready? They are. Everyone of them has been asked by me, how much water they have
saved and when they say none, but you’ll share yours won’t you. I tell them, No, I
won’t. Its not up to me, its up to you.

When I explain #3 through #5 above, that’s when they ask me how much earthquake
insurance costs and that’s when they buy it. Those illusions of free bees from the
government are just that, illusions.

While most everyone who posts here regularly knows all of the above, I hope our other
readers will benefit from the financial truth about what happens after an earthquake.

From North of the Golden Gate.....Petra Challus