Anyone who has studied the history of disasters knows that the major leaps in the formation of policies that support enhanced disaster mitigation and response comes from experiencing disasters. It is unfortunate that we cannot have an emphasis on disaster readiness without having experienced a disaster--and a major one at that. See Disaster Timeline This is not the most current edition of the timeline, but the first one I could find. For more information see Disaster Timeline Series
With the above as context, the D.C. Quake was a missed opportunity. All the legislators who could have been "moved" to take action by the quake were not in town because of the the congressional recess. There is nothing like the ground shaking below your feet and a sense of "no control" to get you to revisit what your personal and professional priorities are. Even without major damages to buildings, deaths and injuries this quake has left a lasting impression on the people who were in the quake-zone. I'm sure there will be a couple of congressional hearings once congress returns to visit the topic of earthquakes, but it will not have the impetus behind it of being a "survivor" and having experienced the event yourself.
Why did people leave work to go home after the quake? They were distracted and they wanted to go home and be with their families, to hug the kids and make sure everything is OK. It is an emotional reaction to the experience described above. I wish our Federally elected representatives and their staffs had been there in D.C. to experience the event.
See USA Today for their story on the East Coast Quake
P.S. I did learn something myself from this event. A shallow quake like this one on the West Coast would not have been felt as widely as this particular event was. It is the density of the rock on the East Coast that spread the tremors far and wide.
