My first earthquake

My First Earthquake
Louis Gordon, Head of Communications

There are certain things in life you don’t forget. Your first kiss. Where you were when you heard about 9-11. Or the first time you experienced an earthquake.

My first earthquake was in 1989 when I was working at an architecture firm in Newport Beach, California. There was a huge boom and then a rumble that got louder and louder. And then the building started shaking. Everything shook. Metal cabinets. Chairs. Tables. Even a huge, heavy work table in the room where we made blueprints.

We all thought that it must have been the Big One and feared what Los Angeles must have looked like. But it was “only” a 4.6 quake, and it was centered in Newport Beach. Fortunately, the damage was minimal and our office emerged basically unscathed. Even the power was thankfully unaffected.

But we’re not always so lucky. Trees can take down powerlines and knock out electrical grids. Although it’s annoying (especially for parents), a couple of hours without TV or a computer are the least of it. People can get stuck in elevators. Factories stop producing goods. CT-scanners and other hospital equipment stop working… and the list goes on.

Although earthquakes cannot be prevented, the extent of the damage is often within our control. Buildings can be reinforced. Bookcases can be bolted to walls. Food and water can be kept in the trunk of your car.

Even utilities can mitigate the damage of power failures caused by earthquakes. Using backup power to keep autoreclosers from shutting down can speed the restoration of power to thousands or even millions of customers who could be without drinkable water, sanitation, edible food and other essential services that require electrical power.

The GenCell G5rx utility backup power solution can be safely deployed in any active seismic zone and provide backup power following an earthquake.  Fueled by hydrogen, the clean energy of the future, the GenCell G5rx power solution produces no emissions, noise or vibrations, and includes a customized shelter that is resistant to high-voltage interference and earthquakes. As you can see from the recent shake table tests at the Environmental Testing Laboratory (ETL) in Dallas TX, the GenCell G5rx is not just a clean source of energy. It’s also immune to the earthquake risks associated with traditional backup power sources such as battery rooms and diesel generators.

To learn more about the GenCell G5rx utility backup power solution, download “The Big Deal With Fuel Cells.”