Humboldt suffered a quake of 6.5 on the Richter scale on Jan. 9, and fortunately, all of us lived to tell about it. Haiti wasn't so lucky, for on Tuesday, Jan. 12, the small island situated in the western Caribbean was hit hard with a 7.2 temblor that destoyed large sections of Haiti's capital, Port-Au-Prince and surrounding areas. The death toll there will probably swell to the thousands.

As far as bad earthquakes go, last year was considered a light year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, even though in September, a quake measuring 7.5 slammed into southern Sumatra, and in October, quakes paid a visit to the Aleutian Islands with a 6.5 point shocker. The death toll from last year's quakes came to around 1,700. 2008 was a decisively bad year, as the number of earthquake-related fatalities was around 88,000 - mostly due to the magnitude 7.9 earthquake that smacked into Sichuan, China in May. The USGS records several million earthquakes worldwide throughout the year, but only a tiny fraction of them become full-blown temblors that carry major destructive power.

To get a perspective on quake magnitudes, the USGS developed a comparitive study that tries to link scale numbers with equivalents in manmade explosives. For example, a 2.0 tremor is generally not felt; a 4.0 to 4.9 quake is perceived however, but damage is unlikely. According to USGS figures, a 4.0 quake is equivalent to a small atomic bomb. Serious damage can occur in the 5.0 to 5.9 range, and 6.0 to 6.9 is considered to have “strong” potential to cause damage over a large area. The USGS compares our 6.5 quake to the destructive power of 5.6 megatons of TNT. Remembering that the quake that struck Haiti had a magnitude of 7.2, appreciate how fortunate (or lucky) we were. However, the destructive capability of earthquakes is measured in numerous ways too complex to discuss here. Just don't get too complacent, because if seismologists are right, we could be in for a really big whopper, like the one we had in 1700 when the area was hit by a mammoth 9.0 quake. These particular quakes supposedly follow a 500-year cycle. You have 190 years to find a high and dry spot, but I'm not planning on hanging aroung for that one. Be assured that Mother Nature will keep us forever wondering when the next big one will take place.

Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. last week encouraged Californians to make charitable donations for victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. I concur, and to show our appreciation for still being alive, we should pitch in and help. It's your moment to show some heart. Just be careful what organization you send dollars to, and go with the big names like the American Red Cross, Unicef, World Vision, and Save the Children. The State Department has also set up a text message donation system that has already raised $3 million. For those interested in donating $10 to aid relief efforts, text "Haiti" to 90999.

Legitimate charities are registered in the Attorney General's Registry of Charitable Trusts. A searchable database can be found at http://ag.ca.gov/charities.php. Beware of organizations that don't have a track record, and pay close attension to the name of the group, making sure to avoid "copycat" names that sound like reputable charities. Avoid donating through email solicitations. Clicking on an email may lead you to a website that looks authentic, but isn't. Do not give cash, and write checks to the charitable organization, not to a solicitor.

Lastly, pay no heed to unkind remarks made of others' misfortunes, as one insensitive tele-evangelist recently likened Haitians to Satan worshippers. Words in times such as these need to be carefully chosen. As Voltaire once remarked, “Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes.”