Halloween Discussion Forums, Costumes, Horror!

Where were you when it happened? At home? At work? Did you have time to process mentally what was going on before it was over?

My California cousins tell me they'll take earthquakes over tornadoes any day. I don't know. Tornadoes are terrifying, and I hate them. But I can't imagine anything much more frightening than having the very earth become unstable beneath my feet.

I was in my apartment which had a typical concrete slab floor that was flexing and rolling like a sheet of cardboard if you were to wave it in the air.

The pool was on a slope above the building, and I watched as the water was tossed into the air and ran downhill, flooding the first floor apartments with a foot of water.

Omg, that must have been terrifying. Yet your building didn't collapse? So I guess all those structural.provisions they've made out there have worked.

Did not collapse but all of the doors were opening and slamming shut.

The pool water left a 1' waterline around the apartment.

That just sounds so scary to me, like the end of the world.

For 63 people on that day, it was.

Oh, I'd forgotten the death count was that high. Many of those were on a highway that collapsed, I think. I remember horror stories about that.

I was never comfortable on the lower deck of the stacked freeways and after that day I avoided them at all costs.

I bet! I would, too.

To this day I sleep with a bag next to my bed containing wallet, keys, meds, batteries, glasses, etc.

Wow. That wouldn't be a bad idea for any of us, actually. It could be useful in case of fire, for example.

Indeed.

I also have an emergency kit in my car with things like emergency blankets, motor oil, antifreeze, ice melt pellets etc.

Prepare for the worst, expect the best.

I'm a bad prepper. I hear all the time about how we should have those emergency kits, but I don't do it. The most I ever do is check on the fire exits when I check into a hotel.

Call a local fire station and ask if they offer free or low cost ready kits. If not they may know of a local source.

That is how I got the one for my car and I just added to it.

I put a small hand-crank radio/phone charger/flashlight in it, and beefed up the first aid supplies.

Also I swap out the emergency food once a year for new stuff.

That's great advice. Thanks!