The Earthquake Thread

[Bowwowmeow]

Today is the 100th Anniversary of the great San Francisco earthquake and fire, which leveled the city on April 18, 1906. Today there have been celebrations to commemorate the disaster, and the DJ on the radio told her faimly earthquake story on the air. Her grandmother was a child, and her home was not destroyed by the earthquake or the fire, but the army came and told them they must evacuate, as their house was to be dynamited to try to create a fire-break. There was no water to be had in the city, which is why the fire did so much damage. The family were told they must leave, and could only take what they could carry. The little girl's father said they would dig a big hole in the backyard, and put their most valuable possessions in. When they returned, they dug up the hole and found their things undamaged.
Can you imagine what it must have been like to have your house survive the quake and the fire, only to have it deliberately blown up in a futile attempt to stop the fire?
Here are some links about it:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1854301
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ca/earthquake/earthquake.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_San_Francisco_earthquake

[Bowwowmeow]

So, has anyone ever experienced an earthquake? I have been through many, most of which I slept through as a child. I remember once being upstairs in my old house, when it started to jiggle. I watched the wall by the stairs ripple like a flag in the wind. It was so astounding that I forgot I was supposed to get under a doorway. It wasn't a big one though, so it was ok.

Then, in the one we had in 1989, I was standing in a school parking lot, watching the buildings and the trees moving back and forth as if they were all on separate conveyor belts moving independently of one another. When one sees footage of trees bent double in hurricanes, they bend in one direction and kind of stay there. These trees, huge pines and junipers, were being whipped back and forth in two directions so violently that I don't know why they didn't snap. Nothing was destroyed in the immediate vicinity, though, so I didn't think it was a big deal until I heard on the radio that the BAy Bridge had collapsed and San Francisco was on fire again. It was exaggerated quite a bit, though the freeway collapse across the Bay was a tragedy. In my own home, a cupboard was thrown open and a single wine glass shattered on the floor.

My poor Sugar, a dobie/shepherd mix, always knew when the aftershocks were about to arrive. She would wake me up with her crying and carrying on, and I would get angry with how stupid she was being, and then we had an aftershock. Boy did I feel guilty! It happened a few times until I remembered that she was sensing the aftershocks before they hit, before I stopped waking up annoyed. The other animals never gave any indication, but Sugar was definitely sensitive to it, and predicted at least five before they struck.

[Oracl]

Very interesting, BWM. :)

We had a short piece on our TV news tonight about the San Francisco earthquake and fire anniversary. :agree:

I experienced a small earthquake in 1974 in Adelaide. Crockery in a cupboard rattled and a picture fell off the wall. Nothing too damaging! ;)

(We have just had another large cyclone go through north Queensland. :dizzy: Fortunately Cyclone Monica was far enough away not to cause wind damage in Cairns but we have had so much rain I think I may dissolve! :rain: )

[Phoenix]

I've experienced a couple of earthquakes :agree: but never a bad one, though. :crossfingers:

The first one was before I started school, so I don't remember it clearly.

The worst one I remember, I was in my mid twenties and working in a high rise building. There was structural damage done to the building but the bosses claimed everything was alright. :dizzy: So I got a job elsewhere!

[Rainbow]

I don't blame you Phoenix!

[Phoenix]

It was unbelievable ... I could slip my fingers into a crack in the wall (not just the plaster but concrete was cracked) yet the bosses claimed that the building was "perfectly safe".

[Tails4wagging]

Yes, in the UK. 5.2 on the richter scale. Some minor damage to mostly chimney pots. Epicentre was in wragby which was only a few miles from where I lived. Ive spoken to folks that I know up there in Lincolnshire and they said rooms were shaking and was sereal and scary.

[thevegantwins]

That must have been terrifying since it is certainly not something that is the norm in the UK. Aren't you glad you moved tails? I remember being in London after a hurricane hit in the 80's. There was so much damage since London buildings certainly aren't built to withstand hurricane force winds.

[Gliondrach]

I felt it but didn't know it was an earthquake until a neighbour, this afternoon, said that he felt it. I was sitting at my computer when it suddenly shook. I thought I mI might have inadvertently pushed the table as I held the mouse. I even wondered if a ghost had done it and, half-seriously, said out loud 'do that again'.

I heard about an earthquake on the radio news this morning but didn't connect it to the computer dancing about. Until my neighbour told me that he had felt it when he was in bed. He even jokingly said that he thought it was a ghost.

[Bowwowmeow]

I even wondered if a ghost had done it and, half-seriously, said out loud 'do that again'.

...He even jokingly said that he thought it was a ghost.
Sillies. Of course earthquakes are caused by ghosts. I thought everyone knew that. :ghost: ;)

[my3labs]

I'm glad everyone is ok. I grew up in Southern Cal and have been through a few major earthquakes. It's very scary.

[Tails4wagging]

There was one injury, a 19yrs old lad who had part of the chimney land on his hip while he was in bed. # his hip.


TVT I was in Brighton in 1987 and asleep throught the hurricane. Woke at 0530 to realise something was amiss when driving to work found huge oak trees down and a boat on the coast rd!!. Had to drive around the fallen trees.

The 14th floor of the local hosp, shook and the emergency generator didnt kick in there for a few minute, causing choas in ITU and SCBU. Also the tower block swayed..

My friend went into labour that night and had to walk up 8 flights of stairs due to the power cut at the hosp, before giving birth to a girl. The midwifes said she should call her Gale. She didnt..

[VegEd]

Yes was pretty good in our parts too. First one Ive been awake for so a novel experience. No damage to report but for sure shook the ground floor pretty well. Best of luck to the lad who had a lump of stone land on his pelvis, although he seemed to care about was getting to the Barnsley/Chelsea game. :D

[Soynut]

That must have been scary. There was one right outside Norway a few days ago too!

[Gliondrach]

Sillies. Of course earthquakes are caused by ghosts. I thought everyone knew that. :ghost: ;)

Well, if ghosts can throw teacups across a room, I'm sure that a lot of them working together could be causing the earthquakes.

[Tails4wagging]

Well, if ghosts can throw teacups across a room, I'm sure that a lot of them working together could be causing the earthquakes.


Thats ok then, Im not worried as I dont have any tea cups only mugs.:)

[veggiesosage]

Sillies. Of course earthquakes are caused by ghosts. I thought everyone knew that. :ghost: ;)

Don't you go sendin ya evil earthquake ghosts over here now :rolleyes2:

Slept through it me, Which is weird cos thats the first 1am I've been asleep for in ages and my house is still standing up :D