How Cool!

[deird_lj]

We just had our very own earthquake!

Apparently measured 4.7 on the Richter scale - which might be mini to you overseas living-on-a-faultline-people (or might not, I have no idea), but out here, it's pretty exciting.

I was babysitting Caleb at the time, and the stovepipe for my sister's fireplace was rattling incredibly loudly. And the couch was shaking.
I started mentally calculating how long it would take me to run into Caleb's room, grab him out of bed, sprint to the back door, and dive for cover before the house collapsed... and then the earthquake settled down.

So, no death-defying leaps from collapsing buildings today.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

So, no death-defying leaps from collapsing buildings today.

Which is such a blessing!

[lavastar.livejournal.com]

Heh. I've never had an earthquake and don't exactly live on a faultline, so I'm impressed. Americans don't all live in California. XD

But yay for the lack of death-defying leaps! Always a sign of a quality day.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Wow! Is impressed!

[debris4spike]

Glad to hear that "the earth moved for you"!!

Glad all is OK!

[louise39.livejournal.com]

That must have been so frightening. Hope there are no aftershocks in your vicinity.

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

As a San Francisco resident, I can tell you that earthquakes are always, always exciting (for me, anyway), and 4.7 is what I'd term a "nice ride". It's big enough that you know it's an earthquake and not just some semi passing by, but over almost before you can panic. However, I also feel obligated to point out that running out of the house is a bad idea! Things falling off of buildings is a very real hazard. Safer by far to grab the nephew and stand under an interior doorway. There's extra bracing there, you see, so even if a part of the ceiling collapses, you're relatively protected.

During the 1989 Loma Prieta quake (the Bay Bridge fell down, freeways collapsed), I was at the gym, huddled under an archway with a couple dozen other people. All seemed fine when the shaking finally stopped, but when we walked outside, the brick facade of the building had crushed several cars right outside the front door. Which happened all over the place, leading to six pedestrian deaths in just one spot (my old place of employment, as it happens). So: stay inside!

That is all.

[taiba.livejournal.com]

If things to get dangerous, don't go outside!!!

Find a nice solid doorway to sand in. Seriously. Earhquake comes, stand in one of those because that's the bit that *won't* collapse.

I remember my parents telling me this from the earthquakes they used to live through quite regularly in Croatia.

[draconin.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you're ok - I've only once been in an earthquake; the Meckering earthquake of 1968 (I was pretty young but old enough to remember being terrified). That was 6.9 strength and, even 50km away where I lived, was enough that we had huge cracks in the walls and kitchen cabinets falling over. It apparently only lasted for 40 seconds but it felt like forever!

[klme.livejournal.com]

I like that your first thought was grab the nephew :)
I should point out that the house is on a hill, meaning that although the lounge room could conceivably fall several stories to the ground, the laundry actually sits on solid ground (well, close to it anyway). Probably the laundry doorway is the safety spot of choice.

Sad to have missed it!

[feralxheart.livejournal.com]

Noooo. -cling- No danger for you, or the for the cutie!

-tucks you away into a very safe place, and slides you food in under the door-