In the last few days, two major earthquakes have occurred along the juncture of tectonic plates known as the Pacific Ring of Fire: one centered on the northwest coast of Ecuador and one in Kyushu, Southern Japan. Both quakes caused extensive property loss and many deaths and precipitated a state of emergency in both countries, which is likely to prevail for some time.
California, and its infamous San Andreas fault, also lies along a portion of this global earthquake chain as is clearly evidenced by the prevalence of volcanoes from South America up through Alaska and by our state's history of major earthquakes-more than three score since the beginning of the 20th Century, and more than a dozen of magnitude 7 or greater. There have been eight in the Los Angeles area in just the last 70 years. Thus, it is well established that earthquakes are a perilous fact of life for all of us.
As population density continues to increase, the potential loss of life and economic havoc caused by earthquakes can only be expected to rise. Since we lack the technology, though perhaps not the arrogance, to stitch up the San Andreas fault, our only remedies are preparedness: in the safe design of our infrastructure and in well thought-out and well laid plans for emergency response from the individual level up through our state and federal agencies.
As many citizens have witnessed several times over the length of his presidency, Mr. Obama and his entourage, after landing in Air Force One at LAX, have flown into Santa Monica Airport in helicopters escorted by Marine V-22 "Osprey" tilt-rotor aircraft. Although some folks may have been annoyed by the noise these aircraft generated and the traffic problems caused by the motorcade leaving our municipal airport, the lesson is plain: the Marines and their heavy-lift aircraft have demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can be our salvation when we are hit with a really major quake or other disaster. Connect the dots.
When disaster strikes, we are going to need medical evacuation, medicines, food, water, and all manner of logistical support and the lion's share of that will be concentrated around the Santa Monica Municipal Airport and its mile-long runway. Our airport, like the fire extinguisher and the kitchen smoke alarm, or the runaway truck ramp on our mountain highways, although not used on a daily basis for emergencies, is none-the-less essential when things go wrong, as they sometimes do, even in our beautiful, crowded, metropolis by the sea.
We keep fire stations nestled among the houses in our residential neighborhoods, often taking up the land that could hold one or two additional residences. We are happy to do it because we know that fire stations are necessary for our safety and peace of mind. We have lots of fire stations and hospitals, but we only have one airport.
You could theoretically remove a house or two to build a new fire station, if one were needed, but not so with the airport. Close the airport and we will all be at permanent risk, come hell or high water.
Two and half millennia ago, a guy named Aesop told us a fable about a grasshopper and some ants. If we lose our fabulous airport by fiddling with dreams of development, we run the risk of becoming a fabled example of the failure to take the long view in civic planning and being left out in the cold.
Connect the dots- keep the airport.
- Bill Worden, Santa Monica resident
