Cohousing-L Mailing List: Earthquakes, Hurricanes and Cohousing

[Ann Zabaldo (zabaldo]

Hello all --

First ... a shout out to those cohousers -- and everyone -- living on the East 
coast:  how are you doing viz a vis Irene?   I hear VT is heavily impacted with 
flooding.  How about the rest of you?  Please let us know how you are fairing.

Here at Takoma Village in northwest Washington, DC we managed to survive The 
Great Quake followed by Irene just a few days later.  I was in the kitchen 
cutting up an apple when the earth's crusts moved.  Having never experienced an 
earthquake I didn't have the slightest idea what was happening.  I did rule out 
workmen stomping on the roof when I saw the kitchen window move back and forth. 
 Once I found out it was really an earthquake I started sending emails to folks 
saying " ... we had an earthquake!" meaning that "we" right here at Takoma 
Village had its own earthquake.  Well ... when you consider we have been struck 
by lightening frying major electrical and digital communication systems from 
which we still have not 100% recovered, flooded routinely, and trapped by 6 ft 
of snow ... having our own earthquake didn't seem so far fetched.  Besides ... 
I don't know anything about earthquakes.  Well, "...no" said my business 
partner, Jack.  "It was a little bigger than that ..."

I do know something about hurricanes having grown up in Tampa, FL.  I've lived 
through enough of them to know they are great pains in the butt along w/ being 
very destructive and life threatening even after passing through.   The threat 
is not over once the rain stops.  Ground soaked by rain can still cause 
problems days later as trees w/ weakened root systems crash on to power lines, 
parked cars, etc.  Plus you may also be w/out potable water or electricity for 
days.  When Isabel hit here in 2003 we were w/out power for FIVE days.

So ... how are you guys doing out there?

Best --

Ann Zabaldo
Takoma Village Cohousing
Washington, DC
Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
Falls Church VA
703 663 3911