Five Reasons Why I'd Rather Live in Earthquake Country Than Hurricane Areas

As parts of the United States are in the midst of hurricane season this year, I again remind myself how fortunate I am to live where such catastrophes are not likely. Living in Southern California, however, we have a different sort of natural disaster- earthquakes. Just a few nights ago, I was rudely awakened by a 4.5 earthquake that was epicentered just a few miles away from my home. The abrupt jolt, which was followed by about 10 seconds of intense shaking, scared my pants off and left me scared to go back to sleep. (In some horrible irony, every major quake I have experienced has happened during the middle of the night). Frustrated as I was, I again lamented, "I hate earthquakes! I want to move!'

When I came to my senses the next day, I of course was not ready to pack my bags and move out of California. In discussing the earthquake with my mother the next day, she commented on how lucky we are that an earthquake is not like a hurricane. She is absolutely right. An earthquake is nothing like a hurricane, and I would much rather deal with the former.

Reason #1- Hurricane season happens every year. The last major earthquake here was in 1994.

Earthquakes are absolutely terrifying, and the aftermath of a major quake is not fun. However, once you have a major earthquake, you can pretty much rest assured that it will be years before it happens again. This is not the case for hurricanes.

A few years back, I worked as a customer service representative for a major mortgage company. That fall I was one of the lucky few designated to talk to hurricane victims with insurance issues. The stories I heard nearly brought me to tears. The worst part was that several of the victims I spoke to in Florida had been hit by more than one hurricane in that same year. They had started to rebuild when they were hit by another hurricane, essentially destroying anything that had remained of their property.

This is really not something that happens with earthquakes. Once it's over, it is safe to rebuild without fear of another one coming anytime soon.

Reason #2- Earthquakes last a few seconds or minutes at most. Hurricanes last a few hours at least, a couple of weeks at most.

When the earth is shaking and your heart is pounding, those few seconds feel like an eternity. The Northridge earthquake in 1994 lasted about 20 seconds, and they were the longest 20 seconds of my life. I cannot imagine having to deal with the terror of a hurricane for as long as a hurricane can last.

Reason #3- Earthquakes leave structure damage. Hurricanes leave water damage.

While it is true that earthquakes have toppled entire structures, the majority of damage caused by earthquakes is structure damage that can be repaired. Although fragile household items do break if not properly secured, this usually is not a huge problem.

Now a hurricane, on the other hand, leaves structural damage from the heavy winds, but it also leaves water damage. When your house is flooded, the results are completely devastating. Everything is ruined. Important documents can be completely destroyed, along with furniture, flooring, clothing, and photos, as well as the interior walls. When a house floods in a hurricane, the water takes some time to drain. During that time, the walls soak in moisture that causes long-term molding. This can cause enough damage for a house to be entirely rebuilt.

Reason #4- Hurricanes destroy large areas at a time. Earthquakes tend to have more centralized damage zones.

When you hear about the destruction caused by a hurricane, you often hear about several states that it has affected. Earthquakes damage is usually centralized to just a few cities. The widespread damage makes rebuilding difficult, as resources are stretched thin. When I worked as a mortgage customer service rep after the 2004 hurricane season, homeowners would complain that even getting a contractor to work on their property was next to impossible, because the number of properties damaged far exceeded the number of contractors available. The next issue resulting from this comes from the law of supply and demand. When something is in great demand, but also in short supply, prices will sky rocket, which is exactly what happened to the Florida homeowners after the 2004 hurricane season. Their homeowner's insurance would grant them a certain amount to make repairs, but this amount would not be enough because of the increase in fees by in-demand contractors.

Now earthquakes, on the other hand, tend to be centralized to a much smaller area. This makes it easier for the federal and state governments to send help, as well as for rebuilding efforts to go much more smoothly. It also should be mentioned that hurricane repairs are often a matter of great urgency, whereas the damage caused by the average earthquake is usually not quite as pressing. If your roof is blown off by a hurricane, this is something that needs to be fixed as soon as possible. If you have a crack in your foundation, it is a problem, but you can still live in your house while you wait to have it fixed.

Reason #5- Earthquake safe structures are now commonplace in most of California. Building a hurricane safe structure is next to impossible.

In the Northridge earthquake, two of my favorite places sustained great damage- California State University Northridge and the Northridge Fashion Center. Now, when I wander around these two places, I feel safe because of the improvements that have been made to architecture to prevent such damage in another earthquake. Architects can now make buildings that can sway with an earthquake, as well as with stronger reinforced beams to prevent collapse. As a result of prior earthquake damage in California, most structures that are built in California today have to meet several strict earthquake requirements. Building to withstand an earthquake is definitely a reality. Building to withstand a hurricane.... not a reality.

As many efforts as one makes to build houses more hurricane worthy, there will still be issues that cannot be fixed. Although you can buy hurricane safe glass for windows, it is hard to make a house completely waterproof.