In which the earth moves.

by

We get earthquakes fairly regularly* but not like this. Thanks to the instant news cycle, I’ve been getting calls and e-mails asking if we’re okay. Thus I figured I’d better post something.

I can say it was a big ’un. The local Tsunami Warning Center says it was 7.2 and followed almost immediately by another earthquake of 6.0.

It was loud, too. Rumble, rumble, rumble – a very locomotive-y noise, punctuated by the sound of falling books and breaking glassware.

DF immediately grabbed the piano – not to hold on for dear life, but to keep it from moving too far off the little blocks under its wheels. (Even so, it shifted about four inches to the west.)

I was on the phone with my daughter when it happened and kept asking her, “Can you hear this?” (meaning the rumble). Then I realized she was no longer on the line. When the shaking stopped, I was able to reach her and Abby calmly said, “Oh, good, you are okay.”

[Oh, boy: Another aftershock! That’s two in the past few minutes.]

 

The temblor didn’t last that long in the relative scheme of things – 40 seconds, maybe – but boy, oh boy it was attention-getting. DF was a kid in the Good Friday earthquake, and he said it lasted for four and a half minutes at a higher intensity. Wow.

 

So then what happened?

 

We’ve been listening to the radio nonstop. I love radio: It’s a real-time way to update if you’ve lost the Internet. What I love most is how calm the DJs are: They pass along info as it arrives and invite readers to call in with “here’s what I see” updates. Thus a person would know to avoid a certain area of town, whether it’s due to a road collapse or an apartment complex fire.

Best of all: They politely but firmly remind people not to call in with what they’ve heard – only what they’ve seen with their own eyes. Rumors just make things worse. My nephew called to see if I was all right and told me he’d heard that two high schools were evacuated due to gas leaks or flooding. Thanks to the radio, I was able to say that at least one of those rumors was not true.

[As I typed that last sentence I felt a disturbance in the force. As confirmation, a DJ remarked, “Whoops – another one.”]

And if you want to see some swell pictures, visit The Anchorage Daily News website, www.adn.com. There is a paywall but you can view up to five articles a month for free.

 

A silver lining?

 

Unlike some parts of town, we still have power. In fact, we’ve still got Internet. My friend Linda B. reports that she has no cell service, so perhaps a cell tower came down. Or maybe it’s just clogged with people frantically seeking news of their loved ones.

At our house we’ve got some cleaning to do, since books and canned goods and toys and toiletries and other items flew off shelves or out of cabinets. The refrigerator “walked” away from its usual location; when I pointed this out to DF he went for a broom to sweep the newly visible dust.

Unfortunately, the quake means that Linda B. and I had to cancel our trip to the Talkeetna Bachelors Auction and Wilderness Woman Competition. Oh well.

[Dang. Another itty-bitty aftershock.]

And here’s proof that I can slap a Pollyanna-gladness onto any situation: At least the earthquake didn’t happen next Wednesday** – that’s when I’m having a colonoscopy.

P.S. My niece took the illustration photo in her kitchen earlier today. As for the color purple in the background, I had help: DF had to pick up one of his granddaughters from school and she helped me pick the elements. Because she was a little rattled by what had happened, I was inclined to toss her a bone.

*Fun fact: Alaska, not California, is the most seismic state in the Union. According to the warning center, the state had experienced 135 temblors by 4 p.m., and about one-third were 3.0 or higher.

**And yeah, I know it could happen again next week. But I choose to believe the tectonic plates have slid all they’re gonna.

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38 thoughts on “In which the earth moves.”

  3. Ok. Laughing about the colonoscopy. My mom was just completing her prep for a colonoscopy when our San Francisco quake hit in 1989. Big waste of time….All cleaned out and no show to attend….

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    • Hahahahahahahaha…What a shame, though, especially since the prep was not as high-tech as it is now. These days you have to fast only for about 24 hours, and the prep solution isn’t as ghastly-tasting as it once was.

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  6. When I read of the earthquake I immediately thought “Donna Freedman lives in Alaska!” Then I checked your blog and was reminded you’re right where it’s happened/is happening. I’m sorry for the stress and anxiety that comes with an experience like this. I pray cleaning up goes as smoothly as possible and things get back to normal for you both as soon as possible. Thanks so much for letting us know you’re okay.

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  9. Whew! So glad to hear you and yours are ok. Thanks so much for taking the time to post. Hope things calm down and you can get some sleep tonight.

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    • I’ve already heard one Facebook comment, “This is making me rethink my decision to sleep in my undies.”

      Normally we sleep au naturel, but maybe tonight we’ll wear sweatpants and T-shirts and socks in case we have to make a break for it.

      Thanks to you — and everyone else — for the good wishes.

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      • Ever since my relatives had to be evacuated from a hotel in the early morning hours, I sleep in something I can be seen in public in. Items I might need quickly (shoes, wallet, purse, car keys, meds, coat, etc), are near the door on the way out for an easy grab.

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  11. I’m relieved that you and DF are okay. It’s great that you still have electricity and an internet connection. I hate that you’ll miss the Talkeetna competition, I always look forward to your report on it. Oh, well, I guess that’s life in Alaska. ;o)

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  12. Since the oil pipe line worked out so well plans are in the works to build a pipe from Texas to Alaska to import hot air from Texas to Alaska melting all the frozen stuff in Alaska making Alaska smaller than Rhode Island.

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  13. Thank you so much for posting that you’re okay, I also thought of you immediately when I heard Anchorage had a quake. I was 5 months pregnant during the 2001 Nisqually quake in Seattle, and that rumbling sound, like a train headed right at me, was so scary. Yet it was also weird because it was the biggest earthquake I’d ever felt and the first time I’d heard that sound, so I didn’t expect it. Three of us coworkers were standing in front of the receptionist’s desk and she shoved me under it, which was sweet—not all of us would fit, so she protected the pregnant woman. I’m a Seattle native and have been terrified of “The Big One” all my life. Also I’m glad I’m not the only one who has thought of things like an earthquake happening during a medical procedure. I had my colonoscopy in the spring and was quite relieved when I got through it with nothing like that happening! Hugs to you and I hope that’s it for aftershocks.

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  15. Donna: So glad you’re OK. Been communicating all day with my Mensa and UAA friends. Everyone is fine but their houses look a lot like the photo you shared.

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  21. So glad you are all ok. I never was in an earthquake, but felt a minor aftershock from another area and that was bad enough! Good luck on your colonoscopy. Last year, I think I was alergic to the prep. I was only have done taking it, felt like vomiting, then I got up to go to the bathroom and passed out. Fell front knocking my face open. Called the doc, and they made me go straight to the hospital as they wouldn’t do the colonoscopy unless I got a head scan and chest xrays. What a production! Hope the aftershocks soon stop for you!

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  23. So pleased to hear you are o.k., as I also thought of you right when I first heard about the earthquake. Sorry about the mess you had to deal with. Hopefully, it didn’t take too long to get things back in order.

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    • I noticed that too. It looked like the shaking was bidirectional back and forth across the width of the kitchen and saved the crockpots.

      Reply

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