Hawaii’s quakes vs. the world

We have a few earthquakes in Hawaii; many more on the Big Island, of course. Our quakes are tame compared to some regions. We shake, we rattle, we roll a little, but whatever damage there is in the islands appears to be minor (unless your home was the one knocked off the foundation by the rolling) when we consider the aftereffects of quakes in China, Iran, and elsewhere.

Generally speaking, Hawaii’s building codes provide for sturdier structures able to withstand larger quakes. Not so for China, which still hasn’t learned what the Japanese learned about earthquakes.

Europeans build structures to last for centuries. Or, they once did. Asians built structures to last until the next big storm or earthquake. That building philosophy won’t do in the 21st century. People expect safety in buildings.

If you’ve never been in an earthquake, consider yourself fortunate. It’s a mind numbing experience, made all the more so depending on where you live, as in, how high up in the air your condominium or hotel room is.

I don’t fear so much the quakes in Hawaii as I do those in California, Japan, South America, even Alaska. A couple of big quakes in those areas, especially along their coasts, could result in a tsunami wave of seismic proportions.

It’ll make for awesome surf.