Like my vacations and events and such that attend, I also feel compelled to rate the recent earthquake. I'm pretty sure I did this a couple years back for a smaller one, too. This quake ROCKED!!! Hard!!! Didn't seem to go on very long, but what it lacked in duration, it more than made up for in intensity. Whittier narrows and Northridge were both longer and shakier, but the shaking was more gentle, the kind where people describe it as a rolling motion. This one it felt like a huge sideways and down jolt or drop or some such, followed by a little bit of the classic rolling motion. Strike-slip faulting is what they say, and that name seems quite apt.
I was working, and was on the first floor of the bin structure. I wasn't up a row, and if I were I probably would have made my way out of it quickly. Everyone from all the different levels described it about the same, felt like something ran into the bins, hard. Moments afterwards, the evacuation alarm started going, and I started heading out. I noticed that I seemed like the only one going, several other fillers were bracing themselves in the entrances to the rows. Didn't take them long to get going, though. I noticed that the upper level fillers didn't seem to hesitate to get going. It struck while first shift was at lunch, and something that hadn't occurred to me before, the cafeteria has huge glass walls. Around half an hour later we headed back in, just about the time second shift should be going to lunch. We met at the first floor cross aisle while they figured out the course of action. Someone asked about second shifts lunch, and they decided to let everyone go to lunch and meet back at one. Something that worked out good for me, they asked the second and third shift workers to come in an hour early. First shift scored all around, they got two lunch breaks and didn't have to work an extra hour.
No actual damage to the premises, but in the rack area, I heard there was quite a bit of merchandise that fell off, and these racks are about as tall as the bin structure, so that's quite a fall. The quake led to some speculation about what would happen if there was one big enough to cause the bins to fall. One girl was wondering if they'd pancake. The consensus was probably not, but it could collapse to the side, or aisles could domino. I actually think that with the exception on the merchandise falling off the shelves (99% is in boxes anyway), the bins are probably one of the safest areas in the plant. It is constructed of heavy wall box steel, braced this way and that. Like being in a roll cage. I hope.
By the way, the image is stolen from the Washington Post. You'd think I'd find a decent earthquake graphic more locally.
More detail about the Northern Cali trip next post, I promise!!!
4 comments:
glad your all ok.
pk
iqarfua: I quake at random-ravings from ultimate aye
:)
Even as a kid I enjoyed many earthquakes. Best experienced outside in an open field tho.
Ooh! Almost a good as the Santa Cruze rollercoaster.
I'm glad you're one of those smart filler fellas..for sure!
What's in those big red metal bins anyway?
Industrial and hardware type supplies. More than 400,000 part numbers. What ya need, we likely have it!!! Most months I end up spending around $25 at least on this and that, tools I can't do without, glues, tapes or fasteners I need, cleaners and such home supplies, strange little curiosities that you come across filling where you say to yourself, "Hey, that's pretty cool" and jot down the part number to check the price and perhaps buy. A few weeks back, some of us were discussing these things, and one guy was saying that about a no contact infrared thermometer gun. What would you use that for??? Go to a restaurant, and they take you to your table. "Is this table OK???" *Whip out the IR thermometer* "Ummm, no, the air conditioner is blowing too much cold air here..." They bring your food out, out comes the IR thermometer... "Sir, are you aware of safe food cooking tempratures at this establishment???" "OK, buddy, either you keep that thing put away, or you're going to have to leave!!!" I love my co workers.
Do ya got a catalog?
400,000 part numbers? That's mind boggling.
Speaking of tools.
Today I picked up a Hoover vacuum cleaner with a power head carpet attachment at the Rose and Crown second hand store.
The tag said eight bucks, so I ask if I could plug it in to check out if it worked well.
After opening it up, bag was missing and the cord needed to be fixed where it comes out from the motor housing, nothing some electrical tape couldn't fix. I hummed and hawd a bit, then the lady said I could have it for $3.00dollars...my kind of deal! It's an expencive vacuum cleaner, and in really great shape..just what I needed, and better than I ever expected to find.
Life is very good to me. ;)
TOOLS! I love tools.
Makes life so much easer.
I'm glad you have a good crew of co workers, and an easy access to unusal heat seeking tools!!! And best of all you're safe when ya, Shake, Rattle and Roll.
Enjoy your weekend.
I'm gonna vacuum.
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