[EAS] Napa Earthquake

[Bill Ruck]

There are lessons emerging from last Sunday's shaker.

1.  Don't stack your wine barrels without seismic restraints.  It was 
with great self control I didn't drive up there with a straw . . .

2.  Don't count on your local regulated telephone monopoly.  See

<http://abc7news.com/news/i-team-investigates-at-t-center-after-napa-quake/284302/>http://abc7news.com/news/i-team-investigates-at-t-center-after-napa-quake/284302/ 

The back wall of a second story addition sheared off and wiped out 
all of their AC power.  The CO ran on batteries until "Darkness 
ensued".  AT&T is now stonewalling questions, including ones from the 
city and county, with the lame excuse of "Homeland Security".  When 
asked about dual routing of E911 the response was "Doesn't make any 
difference.  It all comes out of the same CO."  AT&T and Verizon cell 
service stopped because it all went through the CO.  The Sheriff's 
MDT system also runs on leased DS1 circuits.  The city and county 
radio mostly runs on their own microwave which stayed up.

3.  There is renewed interest in an earthquake warning system.  But 
it may only give 30 seconds of warning.  So if there is any latency 
in the warning distribution system the earthquake will self-announce itself.

More to come.

Bill Ruck
Curmudgeon
San Francisco