4.01.2014

5.1

It was a typical Friday night for us. Marcus had been fast asleep for just over an hour and Scott and I were playing catch-up on our DVR. 

Shortly after 9:00 p.m. the house started swaying. At first I had no idea what was going on. I looked at Scott fearfully, and he said out loud what I had been thinking, "Earthquake!"
We both jumped up from our seats. Panicked, I asked, "What do I do? Where do we go? What about Marcus?!" 

Scott rushed upstairs to collect Marcus and shouted for me to stand in a doorway. Which is exactly what I did. 

For roughly 20 seconds - possibly the longest seconds of my life - our  house continued to sway. It felt as if we were in the bottom of a boat, slowly shifting from side to side. 
Seeing our house move in such a way was so bizarre. I can't accurately describe how wobbly the walls looked, or how everything kind of felt like something you would experience in on of those fun houses where the mirrors distort everything. 

After the slow tremor stopped we both sat, kind of in a daze, with Marcus fast asleep, unaware of any of the events that had taken place. 
Even after the shaking stopped, it was like stepping off a ship… My equilibrium was rattled, and things seemed to be moving even after the earth had stopped shifting. 

In the four years I've lived here I have said I've always wanted to feel an earthquake. Well, Friday night I sure did. A 5.1 magnitude struck, which is considered a moderate quake. Aside from bottles and cans falling from store shelves, and one landslide that closed a road, no major damage, injury or death occurred. 
Now that I can check that off my 'life's to-do list' I can say with full certainty that I would be completely fine if I never felt the earth shake like that again. 

14 comments:

  1. Guess Iowa's lookin' pretty good now! lol ....glad everyone's ok!

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  2. That is pretty scary sounding. I always thought it would be interesting to feel one, buttt maybe not.

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  3. I'd take endless winter over feeling an earthquake. Glad you are all ok. :)

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  4. Yikes! I'm glad everybody is okay! I slept through a small one in Africa and I'll be happy if that's the only one I experience.

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  5. Whoa! I think that's one thing I'll leave off my to do list! :) So glad to hear you guys are ok and all is well. I love that Marcus slept through the whole thing...of course.

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  6. WOA. That sounds more that a "moderate" quake to me. I'm glad no one was hurt! That would have rocked my world too and I bet Callie wouldn't have been phased either. When she was super little we had a massive hail storm (not the same by any means) come through and I thought it would break the windows ($30k in damages) and she didn't even move.

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  7. That is why I am terrified to live in California! Earthquakes scare me because they are so unpredictable and strike without warning. Tornadoes are damaging, but at least I get some warning. I am glad everything was okay with your house.

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  8. I have been thinking of you! Have you felt the after shocks too? I hope CA doesn't break off from the States and float out into the ocean like they talk about just to scare me! So glad you are ok!

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  9. My family lived in Apple Valley, CA from 2008-2012. I lived there over the summers (I was in college during that time). When I got my CA driver's license, I felt a little dizzy and then I saw the sign hanging from the DMV ceiling shaking a bit whereas it hadn't before. My dad and I believe we felt an earthquake...it was kinda cool. I also lived in San Diego from 1997-2000. Apparently there was a decent sized earthquake whose epicenter was in Anaheim in the middle of the night. My grandma, who was visiting, was the only one who woke up. I was so disappointed as a kid. =)

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  10. We felt a very small one here in Kentucky last year. It was a very eerie feeling. I hope I never feel another. It took several moments for me to even process what happened. I can't imagine one of that magnitude. Glad you all are okay

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  11. oh my word, I'm so glad you guys are ok. that is crazy scary.

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  12. So scary...thanks for reminding me again that while snow sucks...the earth moving under us...totally not cool. Glad you guys are safe!

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  13. How scary! Glad you guys are safe !

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