If you live in California, you don’t give earthquakes a second thought. They’re a part of the landscape. But others were a little shaken by recent news reports that scientists predict the near certainty of a Big One in the Golden State by the year 2037. Among those who noticed the story was Dave Ortman of Seattle, a multi-event star with many national titles. In a column he wrote for this blog, Dave suggests we not panic — but to have a plan. Check it out.

Here’s what Dave writes under the title “Why Is My Hurdle Shaking?”

By David E. Ortman (M55) Seattle, WA
Track and fieldsters are used to battling both injuries and the weather. In the Midwest it is not usual for early spring track meets to be wiped out by snow storms and later by tornado warnings. Further south we can be assaulted by hurricanes or tropical storms.
I remember vividly having our M50 High Jump competition washed out at the 2003 WMA Puerto Rico by Tropical Storm Claudette. See: http://masterstrack.com/blog/2003/07/
But the weather channel will at least give you some heads up regarding bad weather headed your way. Not so earthquakes. Earthquakes? Yes, earthquakes.
According to an AP April 15, 2008 article, “new calculations reveal there is a 99.7 percent chance a magnitude 6.7 quake or larger will strike [California] in the next 30 years. The odds of such an event are higher in Southern California than Northern California, 97 percent versus 93 percent.”
Cripes! Earthquakes! Why is this important? Well, three national or international masters track and field meets are headed for California between 2009 and 2011:
2009 National Senior Games, San Francisco Bay Area
August 1-15
2010 Masters National Outdoor Championship, Sacramento, CA
July 7-11
2011 World Masters Athletics Championships , Sacramento, CA
July 7-17
Because we don’t compete in colossal stadiums before immense crowds, an earthquake during competition would probably not be fatal, unless you are hurdling. It is more likely, and would be particularly bad luck, to be hit by a falling light pole in the parking lot during a California earthquake.
But here’s the thing. If the monster earthquake hits California during one of the above dates, it could mean the following:
* Telecommunications could be disrupted. This means you might not be able to use your cell phone or a land line to explain to your family that you actually won the shot put when the earth helped heave your shot an additional four meters.
* Transportation. Highways and bridges could be knocked out, making it difficult if not impossible to actually drive anywhere. If the airport is knocked out, look for headaches trying to re-book connections.
* Food. A significant earthquake would likely create a run on grocery stores assuming they are open at all. A hammer thrower should be able to survive for a week, but a distance runner may have a tougher go if they run out of snack bars they have brought from home. And there are laws against distance runners eating hammer throwers.
Does this mean you should stay away from California? Of course not. Who wouldn’t want to be present when California slides into the ocean! But National and International Masters Track and Field Organizers for the above three meets should be required to prepare, in advance, an Earthquake Response Plan. This should include:
* A checklist of what to do if the big one hits.
* Contact and numbers of emergency responders in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.
* A map showing earthquake evacuation routes and local hospitals that should be distributed to athletes.
* Stockpiling a supply of water that could be made available in case the worst happens.
By the way, if you really want to play it safe, Slate looked at year-by-year fatalities from disasters dating back to 1995, as recorded by the National Weather Service’s “America’s Best Place to Avoid Death Due to Natural Disaster.” Based on this and other subjective factors, Slate nominated the area in and around Storrs, CT, home to the University of Connecticut as the place safest from the wonderful world around us.
See: http://www.slate.com/id/2126321/
Track meet at the University of Connecticut, anyone?
(For past False Start columns see: www.geocities.com/Heartland/Shores/7081/fs.html)