EXCLUSIVE TO WILDOMAR MAGAZINE
At 11:49 this morning, Tuesday, July 29, 2008, while sitting at his third-floor desk in Brea, California, shown above, Zak Turango was rudely tossed into the air by the effects of a 5.4 “upthrust” earthquake, centered in nearby Chino Hills. (Zak estimates that the Richter Scale reading in his cubicle to be at least 6.2).
While momentarily floating in the air from the “thrust” of the temblor, Zak observed his voluminous case files being ejected from their shelves and floating in the air, then suddenly crashing to the floor as Nature’s gravitational suction easily parried Nature’s thrust.
Extending his right hand on his desk top to steady himself, Zak felt sudden, intense localized pain to the index finger of his right hand. Turning to see the source of the pain, Zak observed the flat-screen computer monitor atop his desk had fallen forward, striking and pinning the last joint on Zak’s digit to the surface of the desk.
Adroitly extricating himself from the grasp of the monitor and other debris, Zak resorted to his escape and evasion techniques and instincts, borne of necessity while serving in Vietnam, as if he were again hastening to the protection of a bunker when enemy rockets were approaching.
This day, however, Zak merely wanted out of the damaged building and hied to a place of safety in the parking lot. The falling building materials were only given the slightest opportunity to strike Zak’s little bald spot on the back of his gi-normous Norwegian head.
As he was leaving the disheveled, debris-strewn office, Zak observed a young office worker, leaning against a wall in obvious distress. Zak heroically inquired if she were injured but she replied that she was merely upset. Had there been a visible injury, Zak would have hoisted the woman onto his wide shoulders and instituted an unlady-like “fireman’s carry” and taken the victim to safety on the ground.
Zak then took the proper escape route in accordance with common sense decisions, utilizing the stairway rather than the elevator. When he reached the ground floor, the ceiling joint that joined with other structural materials in the stairwell was severely displaced, suggesting that the quake had wreaked serious structural damage to the building.
After the building has been inspected by the appropriate civil engineers, Zak hopes to return to his duty station in the morning and will try to capture the extent of the damages with his official Wildomar Magazine digital camera.
Zak has not sought any medical treatment for his injury, preferring to monitor the joint for any further pain or swelling. Besides, Zak is a tough guy on the exterior, although a notorious ”puff ball” when it comes to his friends and loved ones. He’ll get by on a bag of ice and a icy Screwdriver as a palliative for the pain.
You may contact zakturango@excite.com with your personal accounts and stories of the Chino Hills Earthquake 2008, knowing in advance that they will not be equal to Zak’s harrowing ordeal.
