Quake also shatters people's complacency

The earthquake that rocked Southern California early Monday morning is yet another reminder of just how fragile life here can be. The early hour of the temblor that measured 6.6 on the Richter scale undoubtedly spared many lives of people who otherwise might have been on or near the sections of freeway that collapsed in the San Fernando Valley. While Orange County did experience some quake-related damage, the worst damage may have been to people's complacency. I know that's true with me. When I was jolted awake shortly after 4:30 Monday morning, I reacted pretty much as I do during a quake. I made sure I was in a place of relative safety and waited until things stopped rocking. The power stayed on and, fortunately, I have no gas lines to worry about. I did a quick look around my apartment and everything was in place although some of the open doors were more ajar than open. I then returned to bed and quickly fell back to sleep. When the radio clicked on later that morning, I began hearing news reportt freeway collapses, buildings ablaze and the other tragedies that accompanied this quake. I bolted from bed and turned on the television and began seeing the devastation. My first thoughts went out to those who either were killed or injured in the quake and then to those whose lives have been spared but who lost everything else. As I was trying-to get a feel for what had happened throughout the San Fernando Valley and other parts of Los Angeles, I heard a spokeswoman from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power advising its customers to boil their water for 20 minutes before using it as a safety precaution. That's when my complacency was shattered. Having lived in Southern California all of my life, I have experienced several major quakes. I've seen the pictures and read the reports of collapsed buildings, disrupted services and the like while television newscasters recite the litany of precautions people can take to be sure they're prepared in case disaster strikes. The only preparations I have made, however, is making sure my renter's insurance policy covers earthquake damage and making sure a somewhat powerful flashlight that also has an attached battery-operated radio in case of emergency works. I know that works because I replaced the batteries shortly after a power outage a couple of weeks ago. However, I must admit that the flashlight is courtesy of my mother, who gave it to me after the Whittier earthquake a few years back. But, I have none of the water or food supplies that disaster specialists recommend you have on hand in case of an emergency. And, my supply of readily available first-aid material is also - rather skimpy. When I went back to sleep Monday morning after the quake was over, I realized that it was a bad one. But, I didn't give any thought to the possibility that there would be the type of destruction that filled my television screen when I woke again later that morning. I thought, rather naively, that everything would be OK. Sure, there'd be some shattered windows, grocery stores would be littered with scattered food and broken glass and some buildings would have cracks that weren't there before the quake hit. It would be, as far as I knew, just a typical earthquake. Sadly, it didn't turn out that way. As I got ready to come to work Monday morning, I started making a mental list of all those things that people say you should have available in case of an emergency. I even pulled out the telephone book and turned it to the page (in my phone book, it's page B9 in the front before the alphabetical listings) that includes a basic list of emergency supplies you should have on hand. This time, I'm promising myself, I'm going to make sure that I have all the things that I should have that I've known for years I should have in case the next quake damages more than just my c