While people make fun of the quake...

[nadinbrzezinski]

Yep, that is from a supermarket



Can't find yet photos of real damage

The Pentagon has had a few problems with pipes failing

The mayor of Mineral VA reports her walks are cracked and extensive physical damage.

Go laugh it up... but there IS damage... as in REAL DAMAGE.

A little sensitivity will go a long way.

[uppityperson]

1. here's pict of ntl cathedral

[calimary]

3. Yikes. Actually, I'd be expecting some teabagger congressperson to start squawking

in a few days about how the USGS really should be defunded! We don't NEED it! No taxes! No taxes!

I wish some Democrat would get up there now and point this out - ask when we're gonna start hearing that from these Something-for-Nothing Know-it-Alls. And some Dem ought to use this as an illustration of how the move to privatize everything will screw you. Stop funding the USGS! Give it to the private sector! Then you'll get every earthquake warning or measurement or other news only via paid subscription! Can't afford it? Aw... too bad. Sucks to be you! Personal responsibility!

RUTHLESSNESS ABOVE ALL!

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Tip of the towers

somebody could have gotten killed with that falling debris.

YUP roaring funny... :sarcasm:

Thanks by the way.

[notadmblnd]

12. Where has our sense of humor gone?

Yes, I saw a picture of a lawn chair knocked over and I made a joke in regards to it. If people had been hurt or killed, I would not have said a word. So far, I've only heard stories about structural damage and most of that damage was minimal. If there is more serious structural damage, I would think that those whose property has been damaged, would have insurance to cover the costs.

I really am having a hard time these days feeling sorry for corporations and organizations who may suffer from this particular event.

Yes, it could have been more devastating, but it wasn't. I am thankful for that. But if people want to partake in some comic relief in regards to it, I don't see why it should be a problem? :shrug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Your post was not precisely what I was talking about

and I will not link to a few of those OPs, by the way... fire fighters are now, not shocking, going out on heart attack calls Those go up too

[uppityperson]

26. Posting mocking things minutes after the quake, before there was any time to see

what had happened, to get any view of damage or injuries, that was uncalled for.

When enough time passes to make sure there aren't serious injuries, then get some "comic relief", but at least let the dust settle before mocking.

[gratuitous]

2. Just put on a Jimmy Buffett CD

And groove along to his hit "Volcano." Some of us in the Pacific Northwest don't find it all that amusing, but I'm assured it is a rib-tickling novelty song well worth the 99 cents to download from iTunes.

[Dreamer Tatum]

4. Quite sobering. K&R.

Who will pick up the toppled shampoo bottles?

I ask: WHO?

:cry:

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. The top of the cathedral had debris fall

if any of that hit anybody you'd be talking somebody killed or injured, yup, incredibly funny.

:sarcasm:

[Dreamer Tatum]

8. That's the rub: if it DID, we'd have HEARD about it.

But evidently it DIDN'T, so what is the point?

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. The point is that you are making fun

of an event that is actually serious. Just because the trains did not derail does not mean there is no damage to the line why they are running very slow.

Just because flights have resumed from some airports does not mean some damage has not occurred

Just because you have not heard of a death yet does not mean one has not happened (and I hope none happened, but heart attacks do go up after one of these)

The fact that you have not heard of a slew of things.

And chiefly... you are making fun of people who are right now quite scared... not a progressive value last time I checked.

[hedgehog]

10. Odd you should mention that - NPR was interviewing someone

at the epicenter, and all the firefighters were out on heart attack calls!

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Not surprised at all

According to some I never wore the hats I have worn over my lifetime. And they have to do the calls on top of assessing damage.

They will have a spike of those for anywhere from 12-24 hours

[Bluenorthwest]

20. I did the Northridge quake in a Los Angeles highrise...

Out of 50 relatively affluent residences, I think 3 of us had any form of preparations or action plan. Lots of the 'how funny you'd store water' people had a tough time for a day or two. The 'why do you keep a flashlight by your bed' people learned to walk down 10 flights of stairs by Bic light.

Barefoot smirker to me, morning of the quake, pitch dark, as I help him look for glass on the ground with my flashlight: "Hey, you have on those slippers that are always by your door."
Me to smirker : "Yep."

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Oh I have been through many quakes in cali

and that quake I was on standby for mutual aid.

[JoePhilly]

7. LOL

[hedgehog]

11. I think the people making fun of the event are largely blowing off

tension. Gallows humor is very common.

[pipi_k]

21. I can see people "blowing off tension"

if they've been dealing with a frightening event for a couple of hours or days.

But this happened in the blink of an eye.

There wasn't even time for people to build up tension. So I don't buy it. I think people are just being jerks.

[Waiting For Everyman]

14. Some structural damage has been reported at federal buildings.

<snip>

"Broadcasting Board of Governors: Evacuated due to structural damage.

Education Department: Employees in the department's Union Center Plaza building were sent home due to structural damage at the adjacent CNN tower."

<snip>

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=48603&;oref=todaysnews

Also, there's a pic of some cracks in a wall in the Rayburn building - that can't be good.

http://dailycaller.com/2011/08/23/images-from-the-east-coast-earthquake-slideshow/rayburnwall/

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. We really do not know yet the extent

As to that crack here hoping it is just cosmetic

[AsahinaKimi]

22. It would be even more sobering if

You had a Nuclear plant near by that was affected by the quake..

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. Santa Anna scrammed safely and has no outside power

Thankfully the road is not that damaged so if they need to truck diesel in to the generators...

But keep your eye on that one...I was getting flashbacks

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Here, in fact

[AsahinaKimi]

33. Lets hope they are more

Efficient than TEPCO.

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. Well they do have a road so if they need to truck in diesel

it helps. Believe it or not this was rated for a 6 pointer.

[AsahinaKimi]

35. I was here in San Francisco for the 7.0

back in 1989. I was 15 at the time. Want to find a great way to scare a 15 year old girl to death? Shake her house like a chew toy in a dogs mouth!

[pokerfan]

16. That supermarket photo

Harrowing.

:scared:

[Rhythm]

27. Maybe you'd prefer these...

People on the eastern seaboard just don't get events like this often... would a little compassion hurt all that much?

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. Looking at the masonry on top of car

nobody got killed and that was lucky

[Rhythm]

30. Taken in Vienna VA (posted on MSNBC)...

Looks like a retaining wall toppled over... scary as hell the damage to the cars.

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. The damage is just coming in

in New York and DC, yep, easy, but some of these towns are well off the beaten path.

[pipi_k]

18. Instead of making fun...

I would think people might be glad nobody was hurt or killed.


Maybe they'd feel better if a couple hundred people got crushed under falling bricks or something.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. Well it is the east coast vs west coast

but yep, I am glad nobody died... and I hope all the predictable heart attack calls are just that, calls.

Oh and that there is no underlying damage that Irene will be able to have fun with that otherwise it would never have happened.

[itsallhappening]

19. Send in the National Guard to pick up the six things that fell of that shelf.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. Maybe you'd prefer these

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1800537&mesg_id=1800988

[Feron]

36. Talk about making a mountain out of molehill.

Yes there was some damage, but most of it is minor. In addition nobody was injured or killed.

The earthquake is certainly unusual, but it's not a devastating event by any stretch.

The media is just as bad...Look at this pile of bricks for the 200th time this hour! My books in the office fell off the shelf!!nuclear power plants!!eleventy!!

/cue post-earthquake CVS picture that looks neater than most Wal-Marts on a good day.

I'm so tired of hyperbole and fearmongering perpetrated by the media and others. And so are many other people. Hence the jokes.

Being afraid in an earthquake is understandable. However it's ridiculous to act like this was some sort of catastrophe.

[nadinbrzezinski]

37. That is far from the point

The point is that people are treating this as a fun thing to make fun of people.

Agreed to the media. If they wanted to do some good they should have given a few good pieces of standard advise, not that they do, or expect them too

As to deaths... if there is a heart attack leading to a death in the next 24 hours, not that your media will go there, it could be linked to it. Those calls go up ALWAYS.

Oh and USGS is estimating ECONOMIC losses at 100 million or more.

[Dreamer Tatum]

38. Thank heavens that the major news media isn't based in SoCal. nt