Seattle, Washington: Captain Merrill Stewart, retired skipper of the SS Chena; Dr. Steve Malone, observational seismologist at the University of Washington; and Linda Noson, formerly of the University of Washington, now with FEMA.
Menlo Park, California: At USGS Headquarters, Dr. George Gryc and Dr. Arthur Grantz; and with the Parkfield Project, Dr. Bill Bakun, Dr. Al Lindh, Dr. Wayne Thatcher, and Dr. Bob Burford.
Parkfield, California: Teacher Duane Hamann and all the students of the Parkfield School; Mrs. Donalee Thomason; and Martin and Gloria Van Horn of the Cholame Creek Ranch.
Mammoth Lakes, California: Mono County Supervisor Andrea Lawrence; Mammoth Lakes Mayor Gary Flynn; newspaper editor Dave Rocknic; Fire Chief John Sweeny; Mono County Sheriff Martin Strelnick; and the people of Mammoth.
Coalinga, California: Marlene Dakessian, owner of the Kruger Motel; Mayor Keith Scrivner; former city councilwoman Florence Bunker; Public Works Director Alan Jacobson; Assistant City Manager Bob Semple; and newspaper editor Bill Howell.
Pasadena, California: Dr. James Beck, professor of structural and seismic engineering; and Dr. Clarence Allen, both of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Los Angeles, California: Paul Flores, director of the Southern California Earthquake Preparedness Project (SCEPP).
Whittier, California: Father Tony Ross; Mrs. Mary Neyer; Mr. Gary Strait; Mr. Ronald Reader.
Apple Valley, California: Mr. Roy Rogers, perhaps our best-known cowboy and a personal hero of mine, who had flown to Anchorage several weeks following the great quake in 1964, and who was nice enough to recall at length for me the destruction he had seen in Kodiak and elsewhere on that trip; and Francy Williams, general manager of Roy Rogers Enterprises.
Oakland, California: Richard Eisner, director, and Jim Brady, public information officer, both of the Bay Area Regional Earthquake Preparedness Project (BAREPP); and Dr. Charles Thiel, who took time from a busy schedule to meet with me at BAREPP’s headquarters.
Sacramento, California: Jim F. Davis, head of the California Division of Mines and Geology; and Richard Andrews, assistant director of emergency services of the Governor’s Office, State of California, for a multi-hour interview in Sacramento.
Portola Valley, California: George G. Mader, of William Spangle and Associates, for his help with the Mammoth Lakes story.
Stanford University, California: Dr. Mark Zoback.
Libraries provide the backbone of my research capabilities, and a national asset beyond valuation. In this work you will find the fruits of research done at, and with the help of, the following institutions:
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Main Library of the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington
University of Washington Libraries, Seattle, Washington
Seattle Public Library, Seattle, Washington
Tacoma Public Library, Tacoma, Washington
Pierce County Library System, Tacoma, Washington
Pacific Lutheran University Library, Tacoma, Washington
Columbia Basin Community College Library, Pasco, Washington
Stanford University Library, Palo Alto, California
Caltech Library, Pasadena, California
Main Library, University of California at Santa Cruz, California
UCLA Main Library, Los Angeles, California
Charleston Public Library, Charleston, South Carolina
Main Library, Memphis State University, Memphis, Tennessee
Main Library, University of Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska State Library, Juneau, Alaska
Seward Public Library, Seward, Alaska
Valdez Public Library, Valdez, Alaska
U.S. Geological Survey Photo Library, Golden, Colorado
By no means is this a complete list. I owe thanks and appreciation to all who came in contact with the project and helped it along, whether by phone calls, singular kindnesses, books provided, questions answered, or directions given.
Genesis
This book would have never been launched without the efforts of the following people:
My editor at William Morrow, Howard Cady, sparked this entire project with a suggestion he made by phone in 1985, which led to the discovery that we both shared a deep interest in the subject of earthquakes, volcanoes, and the nation’s response to natural hazards. His subsequent help throughout, with normal editorial chores as well as constant support and friendship, has been in the very highest tradition of the American book editor.
My heartfelt thanks also to my agents in New York, George and Olga Wieser, for their constant support and friendship.
And a very special vote of appreciation to Adene Corns of William Morrow for her steadfast belief in and dedication to this project from the first, and for service as a Morrow sales representative above and beyond the call of duty!
And as to my editor of first resort—my wife and partner, Bunny Nance—I frankly don’t know how she does it. To put up with the slings and arrows of outrageous preoccupation with an all-encompassing subject for so long, and still accomplish so much in keeping the chapters and the prose in far better form than I could ever achieve alone is a Herculean task. It is teamwork that produces such a book, and on that team as well are daughters Dawn and Bridgitte, and son Christopher, all of whom have perfected the art of leaving Dad relatively undisturbed whilst he slaves over a hot word processor in the basement office, only half-jokingly referred to as “the dungeon.”
I would also like to spotlight the material contributions of two valued friends who read and reread the developing manuscript in its entirety and functioned as unpaid editors of the highest quality: Patricia Davenport of Kent, Washington, a fellow writer; and Mary Ann Shaffer of San Francisco, a professional editor. Patricia also did extensive field research for this work on the New Madrid earthquakes with much-appreciated precision and depth.
Captain James J. Nance of Republic Airlines, the Reverend Gerald A. Priest of Marshall, Texas, and Mrs. Martha Kanowsky of Dallas, Texas, also spent untold hours going over the book and providing suggestions and changes.
And finally, my deep appreciation to Mr. Harold Simmons of Dallas, Texas, the gentleman to whom this book is dedicated, and whose faith in my vision of what one writer can accomplish has, quite simply, made this work possible.
Author’s Note
I’ve written this book to engage you with the pace of a gripping novel, yet I want you to know that everything you find in these pages is true and scientifically accurate (even though presented in nontechnical, everyday terms). My footnotes are also narrative in form, but in order to keep them from getting in the way of the rapid flow of the story, I’ve put them in the back of the book (just ahead of the Appendices). Nevertheless, I hope you’ll refer to them throughout whenever a footnoted passage raises additional questions in your mind.
Finally, Appendix 1 contains a demystifying explanation of the different types of earthquake magnitude scales we all tend to call generically (and incorrectly) “the Richter Scale.” There is, as well, a short but important list of things you can do at home to protect yourself and your family in Appendix 2, and a narrative bibliography (References) placed after the Acknowledgments.
First, however, the dynamic human story itself awaits you.
About the Author
John J. Nance is the author of thirteen novels whose suspenseful storylines and authentic aviation details have led Publishers Weekly to call him the “king of the modern-day aviation thriller.” Two of his novels, Pandora’s Clock and Medusa’s Child, were made into television miniseries. He is well known to television viewers as the aviation analyst for ABC News. As a decorated air force pilot who served in Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm and a veteran commercial airline pilot, he has logged over fourteen thousand hours of flight time and piloted a wide variety of jet, turboprop, and private aircraft. Nance is also a licensed attorney and the author of seven nonfiction books, including On Shaky Ground: America�
�s Earthquake Alert and Why Hospitals Should Fly, which, in 2009, won the American College of Healthcare Executives James A. Hamilton Award for book of the year. Visit him online at www.johnnanceassociates.com
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
Copyright © 1988 by John J. Nance
Cover design by Andy Ross
ISBN: 978-1-5040-2800-4
This edition published in 2016 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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On Shaky Ground Page 48