By the time you think of seeking refuge, the quake is over.
First, in case you’re worried about us, relax, we’re all right. The quake was 4.8 on the Richter Scale, which is pretty high, but not high enough to knock down buildings.
Even so, I was just preparing to go to the supermarket when our apartment started bouncing up and down, glassware clanking (Patty’s antique bottle collection)–and then it stopped, after five or ten seconds.
Couldn’t get through to the police. I did get to talk to the guy who pumped my gas. “Oh, yes, nice big earthquake! We felt it here, I can tell you!” And of course they were all talking about it on the radio.
Earthquakes do occur here, in this part of New Jersey: not so often that you get used to them, not so rare that you can’t figure out why your house is shaking. I think this was the third one we’ve had in forty-plus years. One of them caught me performing a private function in the lavatory. It sounded just like a subway rocketing by, a foot or two under the floor. And the pot bounced up and down with me on it.
Well, the sun’s out. I want to relax with a cigar. Sheesh, it’s snowing, where my editor lives. Grab some sunshine while you can.
Update, 6:15 or so: We’ve just had an aftershock–not as hard or as long as the main even this morning, but still a bit unsettling. We don’t want the ceiling coming down around us.
Coupled with a very serious snowstorm in New England, this has not been a good two days for the northeastern U.S.
I’m happy to hear all is well!
me too
It was a pretty nerve-racking five seconds.
Wow!
I did hear of it somewhere, and prayed. It always reminds me of the Lord’s words in Matt. about earthquakes in various places, wars and rumors of wars, ethnos against ethnos, etc.
We know we are on the verge- time for serious prayer and dedication, don’t you think?
We had another snow here- that’s fun too.
Gee, it seems to be snowing all over the place (but we got an earthquake instead).
A 4.8 in So California where I grew up was no big deal, happens a lot, but when it happens to the East Coast it is almost the end of the world (because the east coasters think they are so much more superior than rural folks.
Now, now! We really, really aren’t used to earthquakes. The last one we had around here–a very little one–was at least 15 years ago. The last one we really felt was in the 1970s.
I’ve only experienced ne, and it was small, and short lived. 4.8 sounds like enough to shake you up.
Only a 4.8. That’s a just a baby quake. Here is a bit from my soon to be published book.
“Earthquakes here are a regular occurrence, though most are just slight tremors. After they have passed, a frightened bystander may ask, “Did you feel that?” (the inference being if you have to ask, it wasn’t very strong). During our fifteen years residing in Mindanao, we have experienced many quakes, which can occur any time of the day or night. But few ever gave us cause for concern.
Over the years, I have gained considerable insight into earthquakes … not that I wanted any real-life experience. Most quakes start with minor tremors that quickly grow in intensity. Most stay moderate and level out after a few seconds before fading away. Of course, with all tremors, there is no way to tell if the shaking will quickly stop, or rapidly grow into a monster that wants to level your building.
If you are inside a building during an earthquake, at what point should you attempt to exit? Remember, after you feel that first slight tremor, you probably have less than 10 seconds to run outside. Would the same advice apply if you were on the first floor versus the 30th floor? At what point during the quake, as its intensity increases, would you know it’s time to leave? When you feel the first tremor, or after the third or fourth?
In earthquake prone areas, where numerous temblors occur each week, I don’t believe it’s practical to flee a structure the moment you feel a tremor or even a number of them. In buildings with more than two floors, if you are not on ground level, you would probably not have time to evacuate before the full force of the quake hit.
So, if you happened to be in a building during an earthquake, what do the supposed experts recommend is your best course of action? Having read their sage advice, this sums it up.
Don’t try running during an intense quake, for most likely you will fall. Drop and cover your head and neck with your arms, and shelter under a strong table or desk. If no sturdy object is available, crawl next to an interior wall with no windows. Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as light fixtures or furniture. Stairways are not safe during an earthquake; thus, don’t be on stairs or under them. Though we’ve all been advised to shelter in doorways, avoid them at all costs.
Will this advice really make any difference between life and death in a severe quake? During minor quakes, it wouldn’t hurt to take these actions, and they might actually help. But sadly, if you’re experiencing a quake with a magnitude sufficient to bring a building down, you’d best rely on the power of prayer. Pray with all your might to the God of Creation, that He may shelter you under His wings.
On the evening of February 10, 2017, a 6.7 earthquake shook our island. Its epicenter was about 80 miles north of us in Surigao City. There, the city lost power, at least six people lost their lives, and many structures were damaged (including a bridge that collapsed). Abject fear gripped the metropolis as numerous aftershocks were felt. Here the damage was slight, despite finding it hard to stand while our building groaned and creaked as it rocked back and forth. The temblor lasted a long half minute and was one of the strongest I had felt up to that time. Six years later, another even bigger quake took place, one in which I truly thought our building would be leveled.
Slight tremors are not unexpected, and generally we don’t have more than two or three during any given week. Nevertheless, there is an exception to that rule: after a large earthquake there are always aftershocks, some almost as strong as the quake that spawned them. And those aftershocks can continue for hours or days and sometimes much longer. The ground is at rest one moment, but when the tremors start, within 5 to 10 seconds that trivial shake could reach 6.0 or more in intensity. One of the many quakes we’ve experienced began with a weak tremor which, two seconds later, was followed by a huge jolt (as if King Kong employed his full strength to give our building one shake), followed by a few slight tremors, and then it was over.
On December 2, 2023, an earthquake measuring 7.6 struck our island at 10:37 in the evening. The epicenter was 40 miles from our apartment. I don’t know how quickly this quake built to its peak, for it was already going full tilt when I woke. Still groggy, my first thought was, why are my son and a group of his friends using my bed for a trampoline?
I was fully awake when Sam started to yell, “Dad, Dad,” as he made for the stairs on his way out. Some coconuts reposing on our steps also decided to head for the door as Sam was descending; a few hit him in the legs, but he wasn’t hurt as he made it outside.
After I woke, the lights were on for a few seconds before the power went out. Darkness during a quake makes the event that much more terrifying. I saw nothing but heard our belongings hitting the floor, glass breaking, a loud crash from somewhere, then another from somewhere else in the apartment. The creaking and groaning coming from the walls of our building were unnerving. I was filled with dread. Can it get worse? When will it stop? Mercifully, the ordeal ended after a minute or so, but seemed a whole lot longer.
As the building shook, I prayed it would stay in one piece; it was that bad. That was the scariest thing I have ever experienced. We’ve had many other quakes in the past, but this one was on a whole other level. It was so fearsome and so severe, our move to ground level seemed imminent. It was so violent; you couldn’t stand without holding onto something.
The tremors, which included four intense aftershocks, continued for about five hours. The following morning at 4:02 there was a 6.5 aftershock. After that, we had tremors every 15 or 20 minutes for much of the day … it seemed the ground never stopped shaking. The shakes and tremors continued for four days. With each stress-filled day, we never knew which temblor would trigger the next catastrophe.
When the ground finally stopped shaking, we found a few of our more expensive items had new resting places. One desk computer and two monitors now lay prone on the floor, amidst an impressive amount of shattered glass from fallen picture frames. Fortunately, our apartment was not damaged, but a lot of the businesses we frequent here in San Francisco sustained considerable losses. To the best of my knowledge, no buildings collapsed, but stores filled with breakable items, glassware and such, lost most of their stock.
I have a friend that lived in California for much of his life, but now abides in the Philippines. He bought a small island, aptly named Rock Island. It sits in the middle of an unnamed bay about a mile from the shore. Nevertheless, it seems he still hasn’t gotten away from the Earth shaking up his plans. While in California, he experienced three large quakes, and was close to the epicenter of each one. However, his home was far from the damaging effects of the quakes. This time, his luck ran out. When the quake struck on December 2, he was a perilously close 10 miles from the epicenter. Consequently, his resort suffered $20,000 to $30,000 in damages. Surprisingly, his location was spared any flooding from the bay, which would have made the situation infinitely worse.
This last series of tremors and quakes are more than I have experienced in the last 15 years living in the Philippines. I pray that these scarifying episodes are over for many years to come.
Now it’s time for lunch at Shakey’s Pizza, the perfect place to reminisce over earthquakes, and thank the Lord He preserved our lives.”
Mike, that is truly fascinating. Scary, but fascinating. I think I would probably just faint. Cheers, Patty
The worst (and only) earthquake I experienced was nothing to write home about. I was sitting in an un upholstered chair and it felt like the floor had dropped an inch or two. I was in ninth grade at the time, a carefree kid, and my family had quite recently moved from the Midwest, to Denver, which had a spate of minor quakes, at the time. I sloughed it off as nothing, but a minute or two later, my older sister called, perhaps concerned that I was frightened by the quake; the quake I had passes off as a curiosity.
Obviously, my bragging rights, with regard to earthquakes, are hardly impressive. Reading your account is sobering. I can’t imagine the horror of experiencing an earthquake of the severity you describe.
Todays 4.8 was not that severe, but there aren’t many earthquakes in that area, so it caused a bit of disruption. I heard that the evacuated the control tower at EWR, Newark airport. So a relatively minor earthquake had an effect on even air traffic. Our highly interconnected world can feel a cascade of effects from such an event. Imagine the effects of a more powerful earthquake on the Eastern Seaboard.
We have had a number of 4.5-5.0 quakes over the years. Since we are on the second floor, the building moves a lot more then the ground floor. Even that level of quake can cause the building to rock and roll and one can find it hard to stand.
Really, I’m not used to the floor bouncing around under my feet.
Wow yikes
After that 7.6, I am very concerned every time I feel even a slight quake. For most start with just a slight shaking…and you never know how bad it may become. We have had four slight quakes within the last two weeks.
Lee, you never get used to the floor bouncing under your feet.
Mike, you answered my question before I could ask it.