Well, there’s something you don’t experience every day. I was sitting here in the kitchen, doing some work on the computer, as a fox was grazing out under the birdfeeder. Then came the rumbling, as if one of those road-repaving behemoths were grinding through the neighborhood. Except there are no roads back here. The fox took off into the woods and the building shook for a good minute, I’d say. By then, all the neighbors were out, looking around, and the texts began to fly. A 4.8 magnitude earthquake, reported to have originated near Lebanon, NJ. Not something we experience around here every day, thankfully. No apparent damage, no loss of power. I felt sheepish even googling it, as the results turned up images of yesterday’s massive quake in Taiwan.
The last earthquake I experienced was in Philadelphia in 2011. I was sitting at my desk in my third-floor walk-up and felt this gradually intensifying shuddering. But if you’ve ever lived in Philadelphia, you know how it is: there are all these barbaric workmen always up to something. I thought maybe somebody was jumping around on the roof again. Then the vibrations increased, and I looked over at the plants in the window, and they were moving all over the place. Particles rained against the dropped ceiling.
Somebody was walking down the street, and she started to look around. Already by that point, I suspected an earthquake. I thought maybe I had better head for a crossbeam, but by the time I got to the front door, it had stopped. I went down to the street and saw three people standing on the corner. We exchanged notes, and were relieved to find that our experiences had not been unique to our respective buildings. For once, Philadelphia landlords were not to blame.
A short while later my phone rang. I saw it was the number of a certain radio station I was working for, at the time, but then when I picked up, it was this completely strange woman, calling for her daughter. It was disorienting for both of us at first, but then we realized the phone signals had somehow become scrambled. We laughed about it for a bit. She was calling from 17th and Race. I was at 11th and Pine. She said she was sitting at work and could see the buildings across the street move.
After that, I tried to call out, but was unable to get a signal. The phone didn’t work again for about an hour. In the meantime, I just sat there at the computer and listened to the helicopters.
That was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake out of Richmond, VA.
My best wishes for everyone’s safety, and my heart goes out to those who live with the looming threat and destructive force of the real thing.