[Wmcmanus]

No doubt it was nothing more than a minor aftershock from the real deal in Haiti. It lasted all of 2 seconds at most, and didn't do a bit of harm, but the earth definitely rumbled a bit. The last one here was on December 14, 2004 (per Google) which measured 6.8 and was out at sea by 20 miles. That one was very minor as well, but I'd imagine this one was more like a 5.0 (or was located somewhat further off shore). Funny, because I was lying in bed in both instances, so I have a pretty good frame of reference. Again, it really was absolutely nothing and won't appear in the news anywhere unless or until someone gets around to documenting it just for the sake of it. Sure is a strange feeling though.

Edit: This didn't take them long! http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak.../us/index.html It measured 5.8 but was further away than the last one (5 years ago) that was 6.8. This one was a little over 50 miles offshore (as opposed to 20), so my guess of 5.0 was pretty much spot on in terms of how it felt this time relative to last time.

Actually, looking at the map, since the earthquake was SW of Grand Cayman, I'm sure it had nothing to do with what happened in Haiti which is NE.

 

[Happy Camper]

Seems the earth is giving us a pre-cursor of things to come.

 

[Aimless1]

Glad no one was hurt and no property damage.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aimless1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Glad no one was hurt and no property damage.

No, not even anything remotely close to that. Just the odd sensation of feeling the earth tremble and not knowing if what you're feeling perhaps is just the beginning of something that is about to happen that will be real bad. It catches you by surprise and you feel quite vulnerable for a fleeting moment.

 

[Uncle Erik]

We haven't had a good shaker in LA for awhile. I think we're due, and the earth seems pretty active lately.

 

[apatN]

Nothing like that here. We're right in the middle of our continental plate. It must feel weird though.

 

[MrGreen]

Next major earthquake will be Tokyo I reckon.

Glad you're ok

 

[krmathis]

I guess it makes one think about what happened in Haiti a week ago.
Not that far away...

 

[ford2]

Get a big one there and the place will vanish.

 

[hockeyb213]

Every once in a long while we will get a minor earthquake in NY but when they mention it on the news you would never even have known something had happened. My dad has gone through some nice shakers though when he was in California for business.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ford2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Get a big one there and the place will vanish.

Wow, that's comforting...

 

[DeusEx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ford2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Get a big one there and the place will vanish.

Quote:

We haven't had a good shaker in LA for awhile. I think we're due, and the earth seems pretty active lately.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by apatN /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nothing like that here. We're right in the middle of our continental plate. It must feel weird though.

They're not so bad, really. As far as natural disasters go, earthquakes are fairly easy to live with. I know what happened in Haiti is truly awful, but good buildings can shrug off most shakers. The office tower I work in is on big rollers. It shakes and then rolls like a ship for an hour or two after. Disconcerting but no reason to panic. My house is wood framed and doesn't have much trouble with them.

Unreinforced brick, etc., are really dangerous, though. That's what kills people. In the 1906 quake, collapsing buildings and the subsequent fire (overturned furnaces, etc.) caused most of the damage.

If anything good comes out of Haiti, it'll be rebuilt with structures that can handle a quake. If they had that, casualties would have been low and they would have mostly had to deal with utility and service interruptions. With any luck, it'll be like that next time. Earthquakes are fairly manageable if you plan for them.

Deus Ex - not to worry. This isn't your typical hot, dry earthquake weather we're having now.

If you haven't been here for a good shake, relax. Odds are you'll be fine. We might lose power and cell service, but we'll live and everything will go back to normal in a few days.

What actually worried me the past couple of days were the tornado warnings. I think one touched down in the OC and there were four waterspouts off the coast today. I've seen a waterspout before and that filled me with dread and terror. The '94 Northridge quake that literally tossed me out of bed - not so much. By the way, you know to keep a pair of shoes next to your bed, right? If any windows or glass break, you'll be glad they're there.