Two birthdays for joy and sorrow

On the third day, some of us spent 12 hours slogging down the slopes to finally leave the mountain. We finally arrived in Dujiangyan city.

The skin on the left half of my head was numb for two weeks. And the left half of my chest had no feeling for about six weeks. I had to wear a postoperative semi-rigid cervical collar for a month.

It took me a year to overcome the fear. I returned to Sichuan's mountains on May 12, 2009, to visit the people who saved me and see how life was unfolding there.

The only question left was: Are we prepared for the next massive tremor?

Last year, I relocated to California, where there's a 99.7 percent chance of an at least magnitude-6.7 earthquake in the next 30 years.

Despite the ever-present threat, earthquake fears appear to have little or no consequence in the state.

Homebuyers can check to see if the houses they're eyeing are certified as quake-resistant. Most houses have wooden frames, which fare relatively well in tremors. Children begin earthquake drills in pre-school. Some elementary schools ask parents to prepare food for a two-day emergency.

California's early warning system recently passed a major test, when sensors correctly forecast a magnitude-4.7 tremor.

That quake is no giant in the Earth's seismic annals but a huge event in that it was detected beforehand. China's mainstream media has taken note.

The system had been in place for more than a year. Now, we know it works.

Although Chinese authorities are extremely cautious about earthquake forecasts, China also developed a similar earthquake early warning system, and is expected to be verified soon.

That's my wish for my fifth “second birthday” - that humans will defeat nature with better warning systems.