L.A. Unified officials get lesson in earthquake science
Today happened to be the day that top brass at L.A. Unified received a briefing from Dr. Lucy Jones, scientist-in-charge for U.S. Geological Survey earthquake activities in California.
“She talked about what they’re doing,” said Shannon Haber, a district spokeswoman. “How they’re preparing for the next big quake. And she had this cool graph about where the quake starts and the intensity from Palm Springs through Los Angeles.”
Jones also talked about Field Act requirements, which are designed to make schools safer than other structures. Jones had departed by quake time, as had Haber and some other staff members who were then headed to a new school in the San Fernando Valley. “I felt so safe because we were in one of our new schools,” Haber said.
The mood was not so buoyant at district headquarters downtown, where spokeswoman Nadia Gonzalez works on the 24th floor. “It was really scary,” she said. “It was more like the psychological part of knowing how high you are. The building just swayed and swayed and swayed. First you realize it’s an earthquake, then you realize how high up you are.”
-- Howard Blume
LA Times file photo of Dr. Lucy Jones in 2000
During all the news conferences today, in the back of my head I knew something was missing- Lucy! What is a 5.4 Southern California earthquake without Dr. Lucy Jones? After the Whittier Narrows, the Landers and the Northridge quakes, there was always Lucy to tell quake-rattled residents that Southern California was not going to fall into the ocean.
Bring back Lucy!
Posted by: Tom | July 29, 2008 at 06:02 PM