Where were you and what were you doing during the earthquake?

On the 30th anniversary of the Loma Prieta quake, KQED wants to know. I have a weak memory, but I do remember that moment. I was in my office in Kenna Hall at Santa Clara University. The shaking was scary, but the loud steel-on-steel roar that the building made was even scarier. "Freight train over railroad trestle" seems about right. But then it subsided, and I decided to drive home... carefully. That was eery. Most people seemed to be hunkered down– not a lot of traffic. The most vivid image was of a cannery on my way home– there were still some canneries even then– with a buckled wall and a huge stack of empty cans spilling out. That's when it hit me that there was some serious damage.

Laura was in Colorado on business, pregnant with Aidan. Of course we couldn't get in touch right away, and the news outside the Bay Area sensationalized to the point where she might have thought it was Nagasaki. But I was OK, and so were most folks. Are we ready for the next big one? I doubt it.