The Whole Time in California - This was my biggest fear

Even before I moved to California - while I was there 'temporary' I had one fear that lived with me the whole time.  So much so I spent as much time as I could reading and learning about it!  I watched every documentary that came on Television about it.  Trying to do all that I could to prepare and safe myself in the event of a big one!  I am of course talking about earthquakes!

Admittedly, I am claustrophobic!  Just the mere thought of enclosed, tight cramped spaces sends me into a tizzy and can freak me out!  Maybe this is one of the reasons that I am so strongly being cand remated versus being buried upon my death.  In life though, death by fire is an extremely big concern and fear as well.

There have been two events in my life that caused me to realize my fear of claustrophobia.  The first was in my very young life shortly after graduating high school. It was while working in my first refinery (an interesting experience).  I was working during shutdown in this one unit.  It required us to climb into this 'tube' and clean it to allow for the proper flow of product through it.  Now the 'tube' was barely wide enough to climb inside little alone crawl inside and work.  It was necessary to contort your body into the necessary position before entering the tube.  Once inside there was barely room to move and maneuver as needed.  It was way too close quarters for me.  Cramped and the air seemingly hot and limited I barely got inside before I was on my way out to return to fresh air and unlimited space.

The second instance came early in my life and occurred shortly after reporting aboard ship in the Navy, as if reporting to my new command was not enough to scare me.  A nine-teen year old, thousands of miles from home, alone and walking up to an aircraft carrier and 5000 new people.  After reporting aboard and beginning to get settled I was assigned berthing quarters and my rack (bed).  The rack was almost completely enclosed with a curtain in the 'front' which was pulled closed to afford some sense of privacy.

Once inside with the curtain pulled I realized how 'tight and enclosed' the quarters (rack) were the all the lights went out and I was immersed in total darkness.  The kind of darkness where you can't see your hand in front of your face.  To me for the first night or two, until you grow accustomed to it, it is like being enclosed in a coffin!

Scary stuff and both instances lending strength and confirmation that I was claustrophobic!  Yet again, I digress from the main subject of this post, so let me get back to it.  My original fear of earthquakes and their potential surfaced during my first extended stay in California.  I was there for an extended stay while setting up a new plant.  One night back in the hotel room I was watching Television and began watching a documentary on one particularly large earthquake in the Bay Area a few years ago.  It was awe rendering and began me to thinking!  Of particular interest and concern to me was seeing cars buried under the rumble of collapsing bridges.  Seeing this summoned up some of my greatest fears, being trapped in a confined space.

After seeing this documentary I had new reason for my fears and it stayed with me my whole time in California, and today.  So great was my fear of earthquakes I installed an earthquake tracker on my PC desktop so I could be aware of them occurring all around me on an almost daily basis!  I knew there was no early warning system but still I prepared myself the best I felt I could.  I went as far as ensuring every precaution possible was taken at the facility I worked at.  Even 'arming' myself with more than just one flashlight in my office.  Still my fear of earthquakes stayed strong and I grimaced and held my breath every time I had a need to cross over any one of the many bridges in the Bay Area.

Now I have to give my thanks to God that I was very fortunate during my entire span of time in California, a total of six or seven years total to have personally never experienced an earthquake!  That is until just a matter of weeks before I am scheduled to leave!  Then the most intense earthquakes hit the area I was living in and had an effect on yours truly.  Reportedly it was the greatest magnitude earthquake in the Bay Area since the Loma Prieta in 1989.

Whether it was that big or not, I cannot confirm but what I can confirm is that I felt it shake.  At first I didn't know what it was but my first though was that it was a large truck shaking the ground outside.  About the the same time these thoughts were running through my head my room mate called from the other room that it was an earthquake!  Getting up from my desk and making my way to the other room I saw her under a doorway.  With not much need to encourage me, I joined her there as she suggested to 'ride' it out.

What an experience it was!  A short time later (probably 30 seconds or less) and it passed.  While it was going on I am sure there was a lot going on but the thing that stands out most in my mind is the sheet rock on the wall.  It was like some thing in an acid trip!  The sheet rock moved on the walls as if it was liquid!  One of the strangest things in the world I had ever seen!

With the initial shock over we waited for the possible aftershocks while checking for damage in the house.  Fortunately my room mate had been through earthquakes before and had pretty well earthquake proofed the house as well as indoctrinating me on how to be prepared for one.  There was no major damage from the earthquake.  Strangely though my PC would not power up.

How strange that the power supply would die due to the earthquake!  It was while having the case off to replace the power supply that I discovered the CPU had come unseated.  It was a lesson learned in more ways than one!

Ironically there was a fairly major quake in portions of MO just a few days before my relocation! Who would ever think about earthquakes in MO?  Did they follow me here?