Experiencing an Earthquake

The recent earthquakes in Colorado and Virginia brought back memories of the first earthquake I ever experienced. Growing up on the West Coast, we had monthly earthquake drills at school and we were well informed from a young age about what can happen during an earthquake. Even though I had been well educated, I was still surprised when the Scotts Mills earthquake hit in 1993.

The Scotts Mills earthquake was a magnitude 5.6 and was the largest earthquake the Pacific Northwest had seen since 1981. It occurred early in the morning when most kids were out of school for spring vacation. When the earthquake hit, I was still in bed dreaming. In my dream I was in my bed and there was someone shaking my bed. I thought it may have been my mom trying to wake me up for breakfast but when I woke up, I realized that no one else was in my room. The strangest thing though was that my bed was actually shaking.

By the time I realized what was happening, the shaking was over. I went out to Replace my mom in our living room watching the news to Replace out what had just happened. We checked the shelves in our pantry to make sure that nothing had fallen off and then we waited for my dad to get home from his early morning walk. He had been walking at a park no more than half a mile from our house and when he got home he was surprised that we were awake since he hadn't felt the earthquake.

The Scotts Mills earthquake was felt from as far south as Roseburg, Oregon to as far north as Seattle, Washington. There was some structural damage caused by the earthquake including chimneys that had fallen down and failure of walls made from unreinforced masonry. The State Capitol building was damaged as well as a few local school buildings.

The earthquake in Virginia yesterday was a great reminder that although I no longer live in an area of the country where earthquakes are common, it is still just as important to always keep them in the back of my mind as a possibility.

It is always a good idea to have an emergency plan and make sure your entire family knows what to do in case of an emergency. Remember that cell phone service could be disrupted and other lines of communication may not work they way they normally do.

With the earthquakes and Hurricane Irene at the front of our mind, now is a great time to become familiar with the evacuation procedures at your workplace and at the school where your children attend. It's also a great idea to check your 72-hour kits and car emergency kits to make sure they are up to date with fresh batteries, food, water, and clothes that are the right size and will be perfect for the upcoming change to Fall weather.