So an earthquake just hit my city

[CelticCossack51]

A 2.9 earthquake just shook Abbotsford,BC and I felt it. I really underestimated the power of 3.0 earthquakes. I wonder if anyone else got caught in worse situations that involved the Earth moving

[Motokid600]

4.7 in New Jersey years ago just before hurricane Irene. Epicenter was lake Anna in Virginia. Our vacation destination the next morning. I kid you not. Family has a house on the lake and we had a trip planned. Earythquake happened night before and we still went. Craziest weekend of my life.

Aftershocks hit us not five minutes after we got there and never stopped. Like a jet engine coming at the house and then the shake. Freakiest thing I've ever experienced. Nuclear plant on the same lake had its reactor shift... lightning storms. And then hurricane Irene. A very, very interesting weekend.

Edited July 5, 2015 by Motokid600

[Special Agent Sigvan]

4.7 in New Jersey years ago just before hurricane Irene. Epicenter was lake Anna in Virginia. Our vacation destination the next morning. I kid you not. Family has a house on the lake and we had a trip planned. Earythquake happened night before and we still went. Craziest weekend of my life.

Aftershocks hit us not five minutes after we got there and never stopped. Like a jet engine coming at the house and then the shake. Freakiest thing I've ever experienced. Nuclear plant on the same lake had its reactor shift... lightning storms. And then hurricane Irene. A very, very interesting weekend.

I think the universal forces hate you in particular. Damn that's a lot to happen in a weekend.

[lajoswinkler]

2.9 on Richter's scale? I barely notice those.

[kiwi1960]

They do not call New Zealand the shaky Isles for nothing... we get so many its not funny in A DAY... but most you cannot feel.

Worst quake I was in was the famous Inangahua earthquake which happened in 24 May, 1968

I was 8 years old and it was the first big quake that I had felt in my life to that point... it happened in the wee hours and really freaked me out.

Furniture was dancing across the room... the only good thing about it was my father was a bricklayer and had so much work to repair chimneys that it was actually a blessing for our finances...

it was 7.1 .... a 3 is NOTHING! LOL...

http://info.geonet.org.nz/display/quake/M+7.1,+Inangahua,+24+May+1968

[Kozak]

Been in an 8.3 before, swimming while an earthquake is happening is deadly and scary ;-;

[LordFerret]

4.7 in New Jersey years ago just before hurricane Irene. Epicenter was lake Anna in Virginia. Our vacation destination the next morning. I kid you not. Family has a house on the lake and we had a trip planned. Earythquake happened night before and we still went. Craziest weekend of my life.

Aftershocks hit us not five minutes after we got there and never stopped. Like a jet engine coming at the house and then the shake. Freakiest thing I've ever experienced. Nuclear plant on the same lake had its reactor shift... lightning storms. And then hurricane Irene. A very, very interesting weekend.

I remember that.

In 2011 (or was it 2012?) there was another, although I forget the epicenter. I was in Philly at the time, Abrams cancer center, up on the umpteenth floor ... the building swayed, as did all the other buildings outside. I was sitting next to a window, felt the motion, and then noticed everything outside swaying back and forth. Very very freaky.

[Robotengineer]

Here in Oklahoma we get many, many earthquakes in the 2-4 magnitude range, as often as one a month to two a day.

[kookoo_gr]

pfft 2.3R you suck that's nothing to what i have where i live, a 3R is the standard every couple of weeks. Last year a 5.8R earthquake hit with the epicenter a few km from where i live and its acceleration was equal to 7R earthquake (from what various scientists told at the media) a week later a second 5.6 earthquake hit at 5:00 in the morning. Many buildings were damaged but no casualties.

[CelticCossack51]

The area that I live in does not get a lot of earthquakes. One news source said that it was magnitude-3.3. Looking back at it, it did not feel too powerful. That was my first quake by the way. Only one of my parents caught caught in one of the deadliest earthquakes in history in China.

Edited July 5, 2015 by CelticCossack51

[DMSP]

Chile:

7.1,7.2,6.0.

It's very scary.

[Newt]

I live in a volcano filled part of Arizona, and have had a few minor earthquakes (nothing over 3). An exciting way to wake up, but I have never had any serious damage (well, a lego model was rather damaged once).

[tg626]

Had a few 3s and 4s in the very general area, Burbank calif, the few I felt were like a big truck went by.

[windows_x_seven]

(well, a lego model was rather damaged once).

[YNM]

Long time ago had some large earthquakes (7.2) although far enough (~300 km from epicenter). Didn't felt it because I was on a bed... Then other people in my house warned me (after it ended) and I saw the lamps rocking... Some other time as well, but didn't felt them for the same reason !

[AlexinTokyo]

I was in Tokyo for the 2011 Tohoku earthquake (M_W 9.0) so roughly 373 km from the epicenter.

I can tell you that it was not fun in any way at all, although, being at such a distance, none of my friends, family or colleagues were hurt.

Living in Japan, it's surprising just how used to earthquakes you can get; generally they merit a roll-over-and-go-back-to-sleep, or at most a TV-channel-change to the public broadcaster, which has the best early coverage (and is a lot more willing than commercial stations to interrupt regular programming).

Then something like 3.11 comes along and reminds you just how bad things can get.

[worir4]

Meanwhile here in England, a 2.0 earthquake is 'breaking news' on the BBC for like 3 days after it happened...

[kiwi1960]

Yeah, the same in Auckland, New Zealand... they think Auckland IS new Zealand, no one else in the nation matters, they rarely get a quake, but when they do... a piddly 2.0 ... they run from their homes screaming.... meanwhile... the rest of us post things like this...

[Hcube]

Wow, i never experienced any kind of earthquake here in france. How does it feel ? exciting or scary ?

[Vanamonde]

Have you ever been in a building when a really heavy truck went by outside? And the floor felt like it wiggled a little under your feet? That is what a mild earthquake feels like.

A stronger one can feel like being in a boat when another boat passes and you bob around gently, swaying.

The strongest one I've ever experienced was when I was 10 miles from the epicenter of a 4.4. That's not all that powerful, by the numbers, but we were close to it. That one felt like being next to a train track when a BIG train blasts by at high speed. There was a noise much like a jet liner flying a few hundred feet overhead, things on the walls and shelves shook and jittered around, and the ground felt like standing on a drumhead while a giant was drumming. Having grown up in California, the small ones are barely worth remarking upon, but this one scared me.

[Endersmens]

I once experienced an earthquake in the middle of the night. It was a 4.4 at the epicenter, but I was probably 200 miles away.

Things rattled, and a door kept hitting the door stop. It was very annoying in the middle of the night (like 3:00 AM), and I repeatedly yelled "stop it!" Thinking it was someone of one of our pets.

[Starwhip]

We don't have earthquakes. We have hurricanes.

It's like, "Alright everyone! We'll be sitting in the house with the lights out for the next week, don't go outside, and here, have some canned whatever".

I remember when a power line set the neighbor's shed and trees on fire. That was freaky. Electrical fires are not fun.

[Flymetothemun]

We don't have earthquakes. We have hurricanes.

It's like, "Alright everyone! We'll be sitting in the house with the lights out for the next week, don't go outside, and here, have some canned whatever".

I remember when a power line set the neighbor's shed and trees on fire. That was freaky. Electrical fires are not fun.

I know it sounds strange, I've never been in a natural disaster, and I'm a self-admitted recluse, but this sounds like fun. Granted, there'd have to be nobody with me, but with my personality and lifestyle this would be easy.

But the electrical fires I agree with you. I'm a bit of a pyromaniac myself but Electrical fires I won't even try. Too unpredictable and not at all controllable.

EDIT::

And I know I'll get some nasty comments for this, but I love canned food. Just for the whole factor that it takes up the same amount of space used that it does unused. You can also make neat things out of the cans or use them for collection of nuts, bolts in the workshop and hold water and any scavenged foodstuffs and cook in them in an emergency. They're almost a kind of multitool. Multi-container, maybe?

Edited July 8, 2015 by Flymetothemun

[Starwhip]

I know it sounds strange, I've never been in a natural disaster, and I'm a self-admitted recluse, but this sounds like fun

Well, I've been in several, and you know what?

...

It is kind of fun.

Maybe I'm a horrible person.

[LABHOUSE]

Three years ago, there was an earthquake in Virginia and it knocked over some picture frames at my school in Lexington, North Carolina (I live two towns over from my school), but most of my school is a basement; that is the worst that happened (atleast we don't have the graduating class [only three people each] pictures from before 1976 anymore XD).