If you bolted upright in bed around 1:42 AM wondering if that was a dream or actual tectonic activity — no, you weren't imagining things. An earthquake rattled parts of the Bay Area in the early morning hours, shaking enough San Franciscans awake to flood social media with the time-honored tradition of posting "did anyone else feel that?" before even checking if their bookshelf survived.

Details are still emerging on the exact magnitude and epicenter, but the shaking was real, it was noticeable, and it served as yet another reminder that we live on some of the most seismically active real estate in the country.

Which brings us to the part where we put on our fiscally responsible hat: Are you actually prepared?

San Francisco spends enormous sums on emergency management infrastructure, and FEMA dollars flow through layers of bureaucracy before they ever reach actual disaster preparedness. But at the end of the day, when the shaking starts at 1:42 AM, it's just you, your go-bag (if you have one), and whatever emergency plan you've bothered to put together.

The city's soft-story building retrofit program — designed to shore up older apartment buildings most vulnerable to collapse — has been dragging along for years. Permitting delays and city red tape have slowed what should be a straightforward public safety priority. Meanwhile, residents in those very buildings are the ones jolting awake wondering if tonight's the night the Big One finally arrives.

Here's the thing: earthquakes don't care about your city council's timeline. They don't wait for permits to clear or budgets to be approved. Individual preparedness — water, food, flashlights, a plan — remains the single most effective tool any of us have.

So if last night's shake was your wake-up call (literally), take the hint. Check your earthquake kit. Know your building's retrofit status. And maybe don't rely on City Hall to save you at 1:42 in the morning.