Leona Heights Neighborhood News

by Gordon Laverty

The images were familiar but still unbelievable. Hurricane Ike slammed into Texas and Louisiana last month, doing incredible damage. While we're a long way from Texas and

hurricanes, we're right in the heart of earthquake country, and no meteorologists or other experts can warn us that a life-threatening quake is coming. Once an earthquake happens, it's too late to prepare for it. With a 62 percent probability of a 6.7 magnitude quake, we should take a lesson from the aftermath of Ike and do what is necessary to minimize the damage.'

In my years as an earthquake specialist, I've seen so much damage that could have been prevented. Among the obvious things to look into are the structural soundness of your home today, the security of what you have on shelves, including TVs, and your situation should the power and telephones go out.'

'And while we're on the subject of planning ahead, as many of you know, we've had another outbreak of home burglaries in the neighborhood, coinciding with school starting back up. Keep your home secure. When you're not there, close and lock all windows and doors. Consider installing an alarm system. And above all, when you're home, keep an eye out around your home and your neighbors' homes. And when an incident does happen, be sure to contact the Oakland Police Department. The more they know about what goes on in our neighborhood, the better.'

And finally, it's an out-of-the-way, out-of-sight kind of place, but it's a big part of our neighborhood's history: the Leona Heights sulfur mine. Due to the immense cost of cleanup of the mine tailings, the geologic instability of the surrounding hillsides honeycombed with mine tunnels, and the geography of the land, development is unimaginable. In the meantime, the land is neglected, and last month the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Board proposed fining the owner for the threat posed by chemical runoff to lakes and creeks downstream.

Ideally, the mine and surrounding hillsides would have been absorbed into the East Bay Regional Park District, but no such luck. All in all, it's a dilemma, and we'll have to see what the future brings to the area around the sulfur mine.

Gordon Laverty can be reached at lavertyhillmob2\@sbcglobal.net.