Mexico Quake Should Rattle Every Person in Los Angeles

Residents of Los Angeles should be feeling more than empathy in the wake of Mexico City's 7.1 magnitude earthquake that left more than 200 dead Tuesday. They should also be experiencing fear, writes Mariel Garza at the Los Angeles Times. "Though of course my heart goes out to the people whose lives and homes were just ripped apart, and of course they will be in our collective prayers, what keeps me riveted to my Twitter feed and the videos therein is the sense that I’m glimpsing my own future," writes the LA resident. Experts say the city of 4 million is overdue for a big earthquake. But "it's easy to forget when the ground is still," Garza writes. "This was a sobering and graphic reminder."

Garza was especially moved by videos showing whole buildings crumbling to dust or families huddled together as their house shakes. He says he'll be glued to coverage of the ongoing rescues and cleanup, searching for "clues and lessons" in the hope that "when it's LA's turn, I will be ready." But despite experts' predictions, not many Angelenos appear to be living in fear, even after LA was shaken by a 3.6 magnitude tremor and 2.0 magnitude aftershock on Monday, per the Times. The New York Times rounds up reactions of the relatively small tremor from celebrities, including musician Cray, who tweeted a photo that appeared to show a water bottle had fallen off a counter during the quake. "WE WILL REBUILD," she joked. (Click to read Garza's full column.)