Page 18 - C.A.L.L. #34 - Winter 2011/2012

the cinderblocks and there are big cracks in the east wall and other, smaller cracks in
other walls. It seems like we can do things to salvage it by parging and bracing and
such. Our building, Kaweah, was the next hardest hit. Nothing (apparently)
structural, but lots of cracks in the drywall and a couple of interior walls seem to

have moved an inch or so. A few outlets have popped out and a ceiling light fixture or
two fell. A pipe broke and there was a little flooding, but there's a concrete floor, so
little damage from that.

But we are going to be cleaning up from this
earthquake for weeks and months. Some
things will never be as they were again. The
main damage is to small things; shelves emptied
themselves onto the floor. There was broken
glass everywhere. It was really the magnitude
of the mess that had most people in shock that
first day. Every building everywhere was
covered with debris from one to three feet

deep over every floor and in every bedroom.

The first day it seemed as if things were bad
and could be bad for a very long time. But the
next day, as services were checked and turned
on, and people started to clean up, the future
started looking brighter.

Lots of people started fixing things and we celebrated as first the electricity was

switched on (building by building) and later as the water returned. The gas company
came out that afternoon and got the dining hall reconnected. They came out again and
had everything checked and running by day two. Rick (now going by "delish") gathered
a group of people and somehow managed to serve a banquet for dinner by cooking
outside on a grill - and dinner was right at 6! Delish kept food and coffee available
for people all the next day so that the cleanup could continue.

Once we started cleaning up, it wasn't so bad. Everything glass broke, but mainly
things had to be put back on shelves. Fortunately, there was a dumpster on the
premises for the construction of the tofu addition. The Morton company is building
that addition and they were kind to let us dump all of our debris in the dumpster.

Emotionally, going through an earthquake is traumatic and unsettling for just about

everyone. But we also keep having aftershocks of both distant rumbling, but also
bangs and bed-shaking in the middle of the night. So no one is sleeping much.

Keenan
keenandakota@yahoo.com