Residents in the New York tri-state area are trying to make sense of the 4.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred on Friday morning, but many individuals from quake-prone areas, like Taiwan and California, were not as shocked by the event. These individuals were more familiar with earthquake safety measures and preparedness, unlike those on the East Coast who were caught off guard due to the relative rareness of earthquakes in the region. While Taiwan has a robust early warning system and modern seismic building codes, the lack of government preparedness and safety instruction in the U.S. was highlighted by the recent earthquake.
Many Asian American and diaspora communities rushed to participate in community care following the earthquake, but the onus should be on the government to ensure their people are safe in cases of natural disasters. New Yorkers, in particular, felt unprepared for the earthquake, especially since the city’s infrastructure has not been systematically set up to deal with large-scale emergencies or disasters. Some individuals from the West Coast, like Kalaya’an Mendoza who grew up in the Bay Area, were surprised by the earthquake and emphasized the importance of government intervention in ensuring public safety.
One New York-based journalist, Melissa Hung, who has family members in Taiwan, noted the chilling proximity of the earthquakes on the two coasts. While she hesitated to assign meaning to the events, she highlighted how climate change could affect Asian communities, especially those living in coastal areas where sea levels are rising. Hung suggested that climate change could lead to an increase in climate refugees globally, intensifying the impact on various communities.
Despite the earthquake being the strongest recorded in the Northeast in over a decade, individuals from earthquake-prone areas like the West Coast were more familiar with the situation and knew what to do. For example, Cameron Kim, a California native, calmly warned his girlfriend to take cover during the earthquake, while photographer Bing Guan, also from the Los Angeles area, barely registered the earthquake in Manhattan. Others joked about how Californians are used to earthquakes over a certain magnitude, and humorously shared memes on social media in response to the event.
Overall, the earthquake in the New Jersey area highlighted the need for better government preparedness and safety instructions, especially in regions that are not accustomed to seismic activity. While those from earthquake-prone areas were more prepared for such events, the lack of infrastructure and communication in the Northeast raised concerns among residents. The earthquake also raised awareness about climate change and its potential impact on coastal communities, emphasizing the need for proactive measures to address these challenges in the future. Despite the surprise and confusion caused by the earthquake, New Yorkers were praised for their resiliency and ability to navigate emergencies with a sense of humor.
