Earthquake in DC

[doubleohfive]

I remember when I was maybe 12 or 13 maybe(?) and living in Arlington ... for a brief, split second or ten, the whole house shook. It was the first time I'd ever experienced an earthquake on the East coast and was summarily thrilled and freaked out. I'd been through random tremors here in California before, but nothing like that back home in DC. I remember going up to my mother and asking WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? Mom, non-plussed (she grew up here in SoCal) simply said it was "probably an earthquake."

Hours later my dad came home from work and the first thing out of his mouth was "Did you guys feel the earthquake?"

As an adult and as someone who lives in L.A. now, I've been through my share of tremors and minor quakes. Nothing too crazy or big yet, but still ... I can see why people unaccustomed to them would be excited and those used to them would be, like my mom was, simply non-plussed.

 

[Lindley]

Unfortunately I wasn't even in DC when it hit.

 

[propita]

I lived in Sierra Madre, CA, during the Sierra Madre quake--but was at work 30+ miles away, so it just rocked the building a bit. Our apartment in Sierra Madre, though....well, we weren't sleeping there the next few days. We weren't allowed to--they weren't sure if the building would still be standing in an aftershock. Mom, living nearby, said her whole house jumped up and down.

One year later was the Northridge quake. I was home for that, but again, it was 30+ miles away from me. The whole apartment building (same one, reinforced) swayed back and forth a few times.

I visited my brother in Long Island years ago and told his friends who had asked what a quake felt like. I said it was like taking the LIRR into the city. "Oh, that's not so bad." I said, "Yeah, but it's not the train that's rocking. It's your house that's rocking. And your building, street, city, the next couple of cities, etc." "Oh." "Yeah, feels the same, but really not the same. You can't just step off of it."

 

[JarodRussell]

An earthquake in DC?! How likely or unlikely is that? Never heard of Earth quakes along the East Coast.

 

[Small White Car]

An earthquake in DC?! How likely or unlikely is that? Never heard of Earth quakes along the East Coast.

The last "real" one was sometime in 2004 or 2005. That one felt like a truck going by outside.

I was awake for this one but didn't feel a thing. It was in Maryland, though, so I guess it didn't feel like much once it got to Virginia.

 

[nevermore]

I live in Carroll County (Maryland) and it jolted me awake.

I love Carroll County*, because not only do they have a whole town called Boring, but they even admit that their Bingo is Boring.


*My dad lives in Hampstead, and I'm actually registered to vote there so I can stick it to Roscoe P. Coltrane Bartlett at every available opportunity.

 

[DAK]

I live in Carroll County (Maryland) and it jolted me awake.

I love Carroll County*, because not only do they have a whole town called Boring, but they even admit that their Bingo is Boring.

Yeah, that and Finksburg. Must have been short on ideas for names.

*My dad lives in Hampstead, and I'm actually registered to vote there so I can stick it to Roscoe P. Coltrane Bartlett at every available opportunity.

I never vote for him either but the old bastard keeps winning anyways.

Did your dad feel the quake?

 

[Captain Ice]

*My dad lives in Hampstead, and I'm actually registered to vote there so I can stick it to Roscoe P. Coltrane Bartlett at every available opportunity.

I never vote for him either but the old bastard keeps winning anyways.

Did your dad feel the quake?

I should have known there would be somebody over there pulling Arpaio's schtick (though maybe not to the same extant).

 

[Lunarflower]

I did think it was kind of funny to watch the news this morning and hear them reporting this quake as if it was a major disruption to the area, causing people to run out of their houses at night in panic (they actually said that). I was thinking, what, a 6 or 7?? But no, it was a 3 something. That wouldn't even make the news here!

Hmm, it's been a while since I felt a quake. I wonder when the next one will be.

Oh it might. They managed to drag out an hours worth of news coverage over the last one. I am sure if they felt it and found someone to interview, they'd do at least a few minutes.

 

[nevermore]

Did your dad feel the quake?

Not that he mentioned, but then I haven't spoken to him for a couple weeks.

I never vote for him either but the old bastard keeps winning anyways.

Did your dad feel the quake?

I should have known there would be somebody over there pulling Arpaio's schtick (though maybe not to the same extant).

Oh, he's actually the US Rep from that district. The last-standing state-wide republican, and a complete bastard, but not an immigration crusader as far as I know. I just call him Roscoe P. Coltrane because his name is actually Roscoe, and he's a bastard. The Bartletts are an old and powerful family out there, and he'll never lose. Fortunately, he's about a million years old, so the end has to be in sight...

 

[BolianAuthor]

I did think it was kind of funny to watch the news this morning and hear them reporting this quake as if it was a major disruption to the area, causing people to run out of their houses at night in panic (they actually said that). I was thinking, what, a 6 or 7?? But no, it was a 3 something. That wouldn't even make the news here!

Hmm, it's been a while since I felt a quake. I wonder when the next one will be.

The news exaggerates everything... heck, when Los Angeles finally gets one day out of 364 with even a slight drizzle of rain, the weather people on the news there make it seem like the region is now on "stormwatch", like it's the freaking great flood or something, and instantly begin saying how they wonder when "this moisture" will let up...