Dec
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My First Earthquake! A 7.4 in the Eastern Caribbean!
December 2, 2007 |
I experienced my first earthquake this Thursday! I was in class reviewing for an exam when the walls, desks, and chairs began to shake. A friend of mine sitting beside me, an Antiguan, was the first to notice and calmly told me what was happening. My reply was something along the lines of “Shut up, it’s probably a cement truck passing by!” But it grew more intense and I saw trees outside quake in the windless afternoon. My friend called out, “Hey teacher, earthquake!” but she took no notice until his mantra grew to a quick roar. All the students began to scream and run outside of the building. Trees shook, glass rippled, first-timers such as myself laughed nervously for the twenty seconds it lasted. Stories about the quake of ‘74 began to make their ways through the crowd…
The epicenter was located approximately 15 miles north of Martinique, 90 miles below sea level, and the tremors were felt from Suriname to Puerto Rico. It was the first earthquake I have ever been awake for, having slept through numerous ones in Alaska. Fortunately, no one was hurt, little structural damage occurred, and I walked away with an invaluable experience!
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It was exhilarating, wasn’t it? I have a post about Tokyo earthquake you might be interested to read. But people can be used to anything like the Japs. For them it’s like a breeze rattling the window