[comp.binaries.ibm.pc] v05iJUNK: earthquake notes

dhesi%cirrusl@oliveb.ATC.olivetti.com (Rahul Dhesi) (10/25/89)

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Posting-number: Volume 05, Issue JUNK
Submitted-by: Rahul Dhesi <dhesi%cirrusl@oliveb.ATC.olivetti.com>
Archive-name: JUNK

It hit without warning a little after five last Tuesday.  Not too
frightening here where I was;  just very unexpected.  It was
over in less than a minute, but that minute was to be later billed as
the most expensive natural disaster in American history.  Thanks to
modern telecommunications, you all probably know the details as well as
anybody else.

We escaped virtually unscathed here in Milpitas but, as you well know,
not everybody in California was as lucky.  Our standards change in
times of crisis.  Major irritations seem trivialities.  The fact that
out Usenet newsfeed suddenly became silent seemed to be almost
irrelevant while we were still discussing such things as who escaped
alive and whose house was still in one piece.

News has started flowing again since this morning.  The worst seems to
be over--maybe.  Just a few hours ago there was another strong
aftershock at Richter 4.7 or so.  I hope you have been patient about
the total silence in this newsgroup for the last six days.  I will give
it another day or so, and the newsgroup should be active again
Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, let's count our blessings and, when we think nobody is
looking, let's shed a quiet tear for those who perished, and for those
who are camping out in the cold tonight.

-- Rahul