Earthquake? What earthquake?

I have felt exactly one earthquake in my life. It was right here on the Planet Ann Arbor. Winter 1986. 1-point-something on the Richter Scale. I was vacuuming. Things started vibrating. I could hear stuff rattling on the shelves in front of the chitchen sink (no, I don’t have those any more). It’s a big gravel rig going up Maple. Except the rattling went on and on and on. And on. Yes. An earthquake.

I was *in* a 4-point-something earthquake once. I didn’t feel it! I was in Callyforny and we were sitting in a Starbucks in Oakland. It was around 9PM and Elizilla and I were waiting for her roommate to meet us. “Moom, did you feel that? It was an earthquake!” Something like that. Naw. This baggy old snowbilly flatlander was oblivious. I was not oblivious a little bit later when a crazed looking street person started following us to our vee-hickle. I am well accustomed to crazed looking street people. We have a *lot* of them here on the Planet. 99% of them are harmless and the other 1% are probably harmless 99% of the time. This guy? He freaked me out!

Ho hum. An earthquake in Virginia. How often does Virginia have earthquakes? Not very often. I’m sure our niece The Beautiful Renee is thinking about the irony of moving from SanFran to Virginia and experiencing an earthquake in *Virginia*. I am also remembering my step-grandmother Bolette. She was born in 1902 in Iowa. Her dad was a preacher and he moved the family to California and then Detroit. She remembers that they were relieved to leave the tornadoes of the great plains and the earthquakes of the west coast behind. And then, in the first year they lived in Daytwa, there was a tornado and an earthquake. Most of our earthquakes are very small but we have had some loooooverly tornadoes in this area.

So, did you feel this east coast earthquake? Have you ever felt an earthquake?

5 Responses to “Earthquake? What earthquake?”

  1. Margaret Says:

    Earthquakes are scary. We had sort of a big one and it was the strangest feeling ever. A real lack of any control over the environment. My brother and SIL are back there and felt it!! By the way, tell me about Michigan and Michigan State. I think Ashley may apply there for PhD–not that she would necessarily get in. 🙂

  2. Tonya Watkins Says:

    I’ve been in several, but two in particular are very memorable. The first was in 1965 or 1966 and I was in the 4th grade, helping the principal raise the flag out front of our elementary school in the morning before they even opened the doors. All the kids were lined up along the breezeway waiting for the doors to open, and SHAKE-A-RAMA!! I remember the principal wrapping his arms protectively around me, and seeing a WALL of kids rush outward from the breezeway. It was a 6.5, I think, and it did quite a lot of damage all around the area. Then the big quake we had in 2001. It did a lot of damage, too — the Starbucks headquarters building took quite a hit. Our house was a MESS with books and CDs and papers all over the floor, but I felt so fortunate because my china cabinet doors where blown open with china a crystal half in and half out, basically dangling! I was at work when the quake happened, sitting on the toilet in the office bathroom and the power went out — the pitchest blackest darkness I’d ever known!

    Earthquakes are so weird because your mind is in disbelief when they are happening, and then afterward you replay the event over and over again in your head.

  3. jane Says:

    I did feel the one yesterday – it was quite short and very mild. and I felt the one last year – longer and stronger, but nothing to worry about – mainly just cool. and then there was one about 25 years ago. Harry was out in Seattle in prep for Rey being born. That one was pretty significant, at least in Michigan terms. When I talked to Harry later that day I told him all the glass in the greenhouse broke….. silence….. just kidding!

    Oh, and when I was in Bali there was an earthquake at least once, but not close.

  4. jay Says:

    A few here on the west coast. The 2001 quake was the most memorable from a response standpoint. They still laugh at me here for changing into my steel toe boots while I was calling my out-of-state contact (after I crawled out from under my desk). At the time we really did not know what sort of damage we had, but we knew the big boss and all of our electeds were up in the Space Needle, waiting for the Governor to arrive.

    The first one I felt/heard was really small, probably 3.0. I heard the crib moving in the next room. The next was lights swaying. Then there was a bigger one where the walls rippled. Rey & Carl were at the Kingdome. After it all stopped, Rey just wanted to leave – so they did. I think the game continued after a brief stoppage, but I could be wrong.

  5. isa Says:

    Felt a little one just the other day! But notice them much less frequently in SF than I did when living in the East Bay.