OT: A whole lotta shakin' going on, or My First Quake :)

[mvhplank]

My Atlanta sister, who has been much more on top of things than I have this week, alerted me about the earthquake. Our mom lives in Fort Payne, AL, just down the hill from Mentone, the epicenter.

I called them, jokingly asking if they were going to move out to a disaster center. They were fine, and had experienced only one broken glass, shaken from the shelves in the basement, and a minor crack in the foundation. James, Mom's husband (a welcome, late second marriage for both) said his sister (my high school English teacher) did not fare so well--two or three big bathroom mirrors shattered and the top rattled off of the commode.

Usually it's just tornados!

My daughter was visiting from San Jose and failed to be impressed.

M

[serpent]

Quakes are most disorienting. I'm glad that you, Mike, and the children are okay. Sorry about Bard's feather. I've been through two of them, a 4.5 here in MO, and an 8.5 in CA... nothing to trifle with.

Gives a bit of perspective on just how little control we have of things.

Blessings to you all.
Bill Whedon - serpent

[Daniel_Bingamon]

There was a quake reported in turkey just recently. It always seems that there is another quake somewhere else shortly after we hear of one in the States. I wonder if one quake triggers the other.

[Redwolf]

There was a quake reported in turkey just recently. It always seems that there is another quake somewhere else shortly after we hear of one in the States. I wonder if one quake triggers the other.

The seismologists say no, though it often seems to happen that way, doesn't it?

What breaks my heart when I hear about 'quakes in other parts of the world is the incredible loss of life. I'm so thankful for our strict building codes here...we lose people in earthquakes too (remembering Northridge and Loma Prieta), but not by the hundreds.

Redwolf

[TelegramSam]

funny thing is that Istanbul (not Constantinople ) has been totally completely utterly destroyed, leveled, knocked to the ground at least 3 times in recorded history, and yet people still insist on rebuilding it and living there.

I will never understand humanity...

[antstastegood]

LOL. I am from California. Most of us don't even wake up for a 4.5.

There's a special place in the newspaper that maps out all the quakes for that week, usually a couple dozen 2's that no one notices, and maybe a few 3's that almost no one notices. 4's get noticed by some, but it takes a 5 to even get people talking about it over lunch. But quakes in the 4-5 range usually don't happen except once in a few months.

Redwolf: They don't trigger each other, but a very large one can increase stress on some areas while relieving it in other places.