If You Build Your House on a Crack in the Earth, It's Your Own Fault
~anonymous~
I felt my first earthquake last night. I've been here over a year and have not felt anything though I've been told a few had occurred. I did not even realize at first that it WAS an earthquake.
D or A, whichever of you is shaking the camper,please KNOCK IT OFF!
Our "home" shakes everytime someone rolls over, walks about, taps his foot. It shakes at every movement. Except this time the shaking went on about 20 seconds. I can't be certain. I did not time it. It was just longer than a roll over and I was trying to fall asleep.
D turns on the TV. "Mom, it was an earthquake!"
A television had to tell us that. It appears earthquakes are reported here with the same ad nauseum coverage of the minute that snow storms are covered back east.
"We're now at two and a half inches of snow, it's still falling, we expect more before this storm is done, get those shovels ready..."
It was a 4.2 quake, last I heard, though that number appeared to change as the evening wore on. Half hour into the special report, and three aftershocks later, turned TV off. It appears I have traded in hurricanes, the occasional tornado, and Nor' Easterns for a natural disaster of another kind. I had not really considered it. There but not there kind of mentality.
Know thy enemy. I think we were just introduced last night.
"What did it feel like?" was the question asked of various callers.
It felt like my kid couldn't get comfortable and was restless in bed. The aftershocks felt like the teen was ticked off and slammed the door on the way out. It felt like an unruly teenager rumbling with barely contained frustration.
That anger will surely let loose if not vented occasionally. This was my wakeup call. Be prepared. Time to do a little more research. Preparation is the best defense.