Getting Through It

A study found that younger people will be facing more disasters than the generations preceding them. To understand this study, Dr. Jones defines risk as the consequence of the disaster to human beings and our constructs. It is calculated by multiplying hazard by exposure by fragility. This equation shows us that to decrease our risk, we have to decrease our fragility by building our society to handle what is coming. 

What is the disaster cycle and how do we get out of it? This episode breaks it down and gives insights on how each of us should approach a disaster so we can work to minimize its impact on us.

Unlike earthquakes, volcanoes have some key precursors to let you know what is imminent. Unfortunately, assumptions based on simple models reported by the media and lack of reporting on the change in the science can lead to misconceptions of what is possible in an eruption event. As Dr. Jones reminds us in this episode: the scientific process is more than one, peer-reviewed paper.

Earthquakes can happen almost anywhere, but they have to happen on a fault. To explain when it is important to note on which fault an earthquake occurred, Dr Jones defines what a fault is, the difference between active and inactive faults, and how Paleoseismology can reveal the history of a fault. 

Science is a process, not a result, to discern reality. And while there are accepted theories that few people argue, there are new models and datasets that may challenge what we know based on this process. In this episode, Dr. Jones explains the process and how she approaches new scientific information.

In this episode, Dr. Jones discusses the basics of hurricanes, how they get categorized, and their impacts on communities around the country. She explains the fundamentals of where and how they form, as well as what we can expect in the future from these potentially devastating events.

Human activity has changed wildfire ecology across the globe. Wildfires are natural processes that are fundamental to many ecosystems, but their rate, intensity, and impact are being altered by human-caused climate change. In this episode, Dr. Jones discusses fire suppression, ignition sources, and what you can do to slow the rate we are damaging our forests.

The large earthquake in Haiti on August 14th, 2021 reminds us how much we really know about the next disaster. And the answer is: a lot.  Why are disasters such a shock, then? Science gives us the tools and the knowledge for better response, improving survival and recovery time.

We cannot stop natural processes like earthquakes from occurring, but we can plan to manage them and protect our communities. Having insurance is a form of this community protection: you build funds by withstanding the smaller, more likely events and share the risk for the rarer, worse events. In this episode, Dr. Jones discusses the flaws in our current disaster insurance system and how a federal natural hazards insurance program could protect us from the natural disasters we all face.

The foundation for building resilience is understanding and applying the science to natural hazards with and for your community. The culture of “rugged individualism” in the US has contributed to its citizens limiting their actions in service of the community good. In a pandemic, earthquakes, and other disasters, we all can be safer from individual action done for the community as a whole. 

Nearly all the people getting infected now with COVID-19 are not vaccinated, but there are still fully vaccinated people getting infected. This episode explores why, statistically, this is happening and why we shouldn't see being vaccinated as perfect, but as our chance to decrease our risk. As Dr. Jones says, in response to earthquakes, wildfires, and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is both with and for the community that we need to take resilience-building actions.

Floods used to be one of the biggest risks people would face. While there have been major engineering improvements to dams and drainage to prevent the impacts of flooding, there is always a flood that will overwhelm the flood controls. Further, climate change is driving disasters like flooding to increase in both intensity and quantity. In this episode, Dr. Jones discusses flood perception and prediction, and how our disaster planning can be improved. 

In this episode, Dr. Jones defines what foreshocks are, describes their variability, and explains how to manage "what comes next." She tells the story of her first papers characterizing what foreshocks are, and what we need to know about the likelihood something bigger will follow. This primer includes all the basics you need to understand foreshocks.

Transportation can be a big issue after an earthquake, even when the infrastructure itself has not been damaged. In this episode, Dr. Jones explains how transit infrastructure will fare during an earthquake, from trains, to cars, to even airplanes.  But is it safer to be in a tunnel or on a bridge during an earthquake? The answer may not be what you expect.

What keeps buildings from falling down -- and why do they? This episode looks that the governmental and technical solutions to the challenges of tall buildings. From codes to engineers to builders to inspectors -- buildings have many people who are the ones responsible for its safety.

California is young and hot compared to the East Coast which is old and cold... as it relates to the rocks, at least. And the age of the rocks is one of reasons that determines how waves from an earthquake travel from the fault - farther on the East Coast and less so on the West Coast. In this episode, Dr. Jones explains why that is, and why a similar sized earthquake has different impacts based on the ground beneath you.

You likely use more water than you realize -- until it's not there. When a large earthquake happens, water will be in short supply for many reason, and as Dr. Jones always says: "How long are you willing to stick around with out a shower?" This episode looks at our water, our pipes, and why it matters more than just staying hydrated.

We are dependent on the internet for so many things, and after an earthquake, it becomes essential (especially around information and communication!. Will it be there after the next big earthquake? How we make sure it is there may take more than you might think...

How safe is traveling this summer in light of the lingering impacts of COVID19? Is it safer than driving? What about other modes? In this episode, Dr. Jones breaks down the risks, and shows how dramatically different the risk is if you wear a mask or better yet, are vaccinated. And seriously, why do we think we're safe when we drive -- she explains that, too!

In this episode, we look at what we can really control when it comes to natural hazards and systems, and the answer is simple: nothing. But, we can manage them, if we work at it. Listen to learn about new oceans in Africa, storms bigger than anything we've planned for, and the reason COVID19 isn't our last pandemic.

We know that COVID-19 isn't going away, so what's next for us? What can we expect life to be life in 6 months or a year? In this episode, we look at what vaccinated society looks like, what we'll be able to do, and how we can get through living with this virus.

Don't think that an earthquake kit is what you need to prepare for an earthquake. In this episode, we discuss why people matter to your survival of and recovery from an earthquake or other disaster. A kit makes you feel like you're ready, but it's simply a bandaid for what is truly needed.

Following up on our 4-part series on earthquake prediction from earlier this season, this episode dives into the deep end with the craziest predictions and prediction sources Dr. Jones has encountered since her time as a graduate student. Hear some wild rationales and the reason why we seek to explain what might happen next.

Disaster movies - even bad ones - capture our attention because they portray what could happen. Dr. Jones looks at the three types of disaster movies and how real science is used (or not!), and how you can watch these movies to survive what you might face.

In honor of Earth Week, this episode explains how you can talk about the climate crisis, and how it can actually make a difference. Dr. Jones shares the research-based approach to get action on this issue when talking to other people about it.

In this episode, Dr. Jones explains the ways humans can start earthquakes. She talks about bombs, dams, fracking, and even nerve gas! Take a listen and see how humans can cause earthquakes.

By their nature, disasters are a prime circumstance for conspiracy theories to emerge and spread. And the explanation as to why is not as simple as people being uninformed. Hear the explanation of why this happens, and learn what you can do to manage disinformation in a crisis.

In this episode, Dr. Jones explains why even a distant volcanic eruption could impact you where you are. From the ash that impacts air travel to gases that can kill thousands, volcanos emit more than lava that can impact the entire world.

Volcanoes can be the most visually impressive natural hazard for many reasons, and Dr. Jones explains key facts about these very specific geologic features of the earth that are often misunderstood. She tackles six myths, giving insights on where volcanoes can happen, why "sticky lava" matters, and their impact on climate change.

In this episode, we explore how tsunamis are formed, how they travel, and what to do when you hear (or feel!) a warning of one. Though they're one of the most feared natural hazards, understanding the basics of tsunamis will help you manage the risk you might face.

In this episode, Dr. Jones explores how we come to use magnitude to describe the size of an earthquake, and all the complications that come along with it... and why we need it to manage the human response to fear the uncertainty of earthquakes.

"What is a disaster, anyway?" This episode explores how we historically and currently define disasters. By understanding what they are, we can manage them more effectively. Dr. Jones explores how an earthquake disaster can inform our management of the pandemic, and how we can't let time scale distract us from the impact and severity of longer, "slow" disasters.

In this episode, we explore the failures in Texas in February 2021 to deal with a winter storm that impacted them based on the choices made by that state. We take a look at why government has a role in preventing disasters and how they do or don't do that critical work - a core function of government in general. And what can you do about it so you can get through the next disaster?

In this episode, Dr. Jones explains how aftershocks are named, how long they can last, and what to expect when in the midst of an aftershock sequence. She reveals the story behind how she came to want to study and explain them, and how understanding aftershocks can help manage fears around earthquakes. This primer includes all the basics you need to understand aftershocks.

In this episode, Dr. Jones shares how she came to be the one to explain more than just the science behind earthquakes and disasters. She recalls the story from 1992 that showed to everyone that she was a mother and a scientist and appeared to be able to "have it all." From 2020 into 2021, the experience of working from home and parenting at the same time focuses everyone on what it takes to do both - often at the same time. Dr. Jones offers her insights on how she sacrificed to make it work, as she had to do quite publicly in the 1990s, and what those trying to cope now could do to get through it.

In this episode, we share the science, damage, and lasting impact that the first large earthquake in modern Los Angeles had on the city and how we address earthquake risk across the country. What was learned created new laws, funding streams, and approaches to manage earthquake risk. In fact, it's this earthquake on February 9, 1971 that may have put Dr Jones on track to the career she had helping us all get through it.

In this episode, Dr. Jones explains the way the Coronavirus works, how the vaccines work, and how virus mutation could impact the vaccine effectiveness. She talks about when you're most contagious (and it's not when you're sickest!), and she reveals why the name of the Coronavirus also relates to how the vaccine works. And, Dr. Jones explains why the virus is "lazy."

In this final episode of our four part series on earthquake prediction, we explore what can be predicted for a particular earthquake. In this case, we look at the damage, injuries, death, and disruption from an earthquake on the Newport Inglewood Fault running from Long Beach to Beverly Hills. Dr. Jones will explain who will feel shaking (all of SoCal) and how an earthquake on this fault compares to others. She can't tell you when, but she can tell you what will happen...

In this, the third of our four part series on earthquake prediction, we explore earthquake early warning and what it means to be notified that earthquake shaking is headed your way momentarily. With an earthquake underway, this system can provide a "prediction" of what you'll feel. Why does this matter? Dr. Jones explains the various benefits, and some may surprise you because it's more than physically protecting yourself in the moment. 

In part 2 of our 4 part series on earthquake prediction, Dr. Jones explains the idea of how the rate of earthquakes  can be  the piece of information that helps know if another earthquake is more likely.  She explains why people think she can predict earthquakes, when really, she's just explaining the science of what makes an earthquake more likely (hint: earthquakes never happen by themselves!). She helps explain why the San Andreas Fault is different and can be seen as more likely than other earthquakes and when a one day rate might go up around it, where people might think a prediction is being made when triggering is involved. We also reveal the things you should listen for when scientists talk about what's potentially going to happen next.

This is the first of 4 episodes focused on earthquake prediction. Dr. Jones talks about her personal experience in China and her research into foreshocks and the likelihood of there being something "there" that reveals when an earthquake might occur. And the question is more complicated than just when: where and how big is what we really want to know. Here's the start of what you need to know to understand why earthquake prediction is currently -- and likely forever -- impossible.

In this episode, Dr. Jones reveals a bit about her process for writing music inspired by climate change data to help make real the issues we will face in the years ahead. She explains how music taps into the emotional shared experience like no other tool or mechanism does, and we talk about the coming year where she'll be convening physical scientists, social scientists, and musicians to work together to help inspire action around climate change through music. Take a listen and know that music can help you get through it!

In this episode, we look at the origins of the use of "doctor" (it's from western theology, as can be seen in the ceremonial robes still worn today) and the role of skills and knowledge and demonstrating expertise. "Doctor" is at times as shorthand for "come to me for expert information," and for Dr. Jones, it meant recognizing that she had expertise in the 1990s in SoCal when, in comparison to her male colleagues, she was not given the credit of her expertise in the media, being called an "earthquake lady" instead of a scientist. The controversy of the use of the title "doctor" reveals the complicated relationship Americans have with truth and experts. And today, this issue is more important than ever as we all must have the skills to determine the truth we encounter in all forms of media.

In this episode, as we look at the frequency of the energy produced in an earthquake -- the waves of energy emitted from the earthquake -- we'll explore how music and earthquakes are connected. We'll talk about how buildings themselves have a resonant frequency and what it means when a building is "excited" by the earthquake shaking. We explore how big earthquakes and small earthquakes are really quite different in terms of the type of energy they produce, and how even the biggest earthquakes that produce a lot of damage likely won't impact where we live.

In this fundamental episode, we explore the very basics of what an earthquake is. Dr. Jones explains what causes the shaking we feel, the debate over what causes an earthquake to start and stop, and the ways in which stress is transferred and relieved. We also explore the ideas of microseism and stress drop, and Dr. Jones debunks a few more earthquake myths.

In this special Thanksgiving episode, we talk about what we can be thankful for in the face of disaster. Dr. Jones explains how disasters make California California. We travel back in time to the Roman Empire to talk about wine, and we explore why our work to make communities safer from disasters might make us less thankful for their benefits. After all, disasters aren't natural -- it's the people that turn these natural processes into disasters.

Don't give up now -- that's Dr. Lucy Jones's advice to dealing with the latest COVID19 surge. Our feelings aren't what the risk actually is because as humans, we have evolved with two systems for analyzing risks we face. Dr. Jones shares the pros and cons of "going with your gut" as it relates to managing risks and explains why we don't want to believe experts telling us not to have Thanksgiving. We look at how greater benefits appear to lower the risk and discuss ways to manage the emotional conflict with the analytical response in order to get through the extremes, like the current surge in COVID19 cases in California and across the US.

In this episode, we look at where earthquakes can happen… and the answer might surprise you. Certain places, like California, are known for having earthquakes but almost anywhere can have one, especially when human activity causes them (yes, you read that correctly!). And when they happen in places less common for them, they can often be surprising. The US East Coast used to be a plate boundary at the Appalachian Mountains, which were once almost as high as the Himalayas! How will you react when the next earthquake happens -- Dr. Jones gives you a big clue on what to expect whether the rate of earthquakes is high or low where you are.

Whether talking about disasters, college acceptance, or election results, humans aren't wired to manage the stress of not knowing what's happening next. In this episode, we look at uncertainty and why seeking answers -- even if they're bad -- is more comforting than not knowing.  Dr. Jones offers her approach to dealing with uncertainty, and shares one of the letters she's received over the last 30 years that demonstrates the way humans seek some sort of explanation in the face of no certain answer.

Science is a process, and it's OK to change your understanding based on fact. And figuring out what is actually true is worth the discomfort of the process to get there. In this episode, we delve into the idea of thinking vs. knowing and how that plays into our understanding of scientific information. With an impending disaster of misinformation, Dr. Jones shares her six steps to determining if a scientific “study” is credible when found online or being shared through social media. This includes the role of traditional media and how not to be misled by the “trappings of science.” She also shares what to do when you encounter someone with a different set of facts than you.

Looking at the way intense rainfall can cause massive flows of mud, rocks, boulders, and anything in its path, this episode helps you understand how to manage the risk o debris flows that often follows fires on steep hillsides and mountains. Dr. Jones talks about the hydrophobic chemicals that make this type of terrain so susceptible to this deadly hazard. Consider how society manages this risk: building more interventions to stop mud, water, and debris from inundating neighborhoods leading to death and destruction. How would you manage this risk, as you manage risks every day? Dr Jones says, "don't underestimate the risk."