Lordy, Lordy, Lordy!

Earthquakes. Drought. And yes, an asteroid is doing a near "fly-by" this Sunday (south of New Zealand). Will it miss us as they promise? Or, are their calculations not quite correct (computer errors that has happened before with satellite launches , etc.)?

Droughts are catastrophic events that sneak up on us. All the rest, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic explosions (Think Yellowstone super volcano), hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters sitting in wait to happen suddenly and explosively, and those are all just around the corner.

We have to blame somebody to make us feel better, but who? We can run, but we can't hide.

So, California, "duck and cover!"

We have our choice here in California: great weather and earthquakes on occasion, or hurricanes, floods, harsh winters and high humidity summers in the Midwest and est coast. Never regretted moving west from New York City 74 years ago. Declined transfers to the Midwest and had to switch jobs, but I will take the West Coast over any other US locations. An occasional shake is just enough to keep us alert and make sur our homes can stand it.

Gunste-
I like your attitude and iI fully agree.

earthquakes are bad.

Earthquakes are natural. Big earthquakes can be destructive. Small earthquakes are potentially good, as they can relieve stress on a fault, without destruction.

Saying earthquakes are bad is like saying a windstorm is bad. they are part of nature.

Well, Keithw, earthquakes aren't so great when the epicenter is a mere .5 miles from one's home. Small quakes do relieve some stress, however, since they can be a precursor for a bigger quake, they are a cause for concern.

Droughts, on the other, can be managed if we have a mind to do so. Desalination plants can and should be built. They're not cheap, but lost agriculture isn't cheap either. What surprised me is that a desalination plant is being built, but by private enterprise. That water is going to be mighty expensive once profit is added to the bill.

Liz:

that desalinated water is going to be real expensive because 80% of our water goes to agriculture which WASTES it. If they had be more conservative in their water use we wouldn't need desalination.