We did have that miniquake here a couple of Augusts ago, but I simply attributed that to the earth being mad because of the consarned heat around here in the eighth month. Local car dealers would have had a big "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" sale to get rid of all those leftover Dodges, had they been given forewarning of the big shaker.
Now, maybe this happens a lot out there, and so people are used to the whole getting the jumpin' jive at any time, but I would like to think that if I were working with someone and we were live on the air at the time an earthquake hit, I would make sure that others were safe before I did a Lord Jim and headed for safety under the Action Central EyeWitness Live Local LegBreaking desk.
Watch the video of the KTLA early morning newscast and watch the male anchor head for lower ground as soon as he realizes he's on shaky ground. And to me, this is not a male-should-always-protect-the-female thing. People ought to take care of each other first, I figure. If you always do that, someone will be there to take care of you, I promise.
I don't mean to be too hard on this anchorman. When people have half a mo to think about what they'll do next time, they usually do better next time. I remember my first days at a new position with the County. The water was cut off suddenly and people were running around the halls in a sheer panic. I couldn't comprehend their apprehension, until someone pointed out that I was used to real emergencies. It's simply a matter of practice.
"Take care of each other," as Robert Louis Stevenson once said.
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