Honey, Wake Up. We’re Having An Earthquake!

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Doppler and I were peacefully napping on the sofa when Helaine took to her feet.

“Honey, wake up. We’re having an earthquake.”

I opened my eyes and stared down at the couch’s fabric a few inches from my nose. The house was shaking.

5.1 earthquake in La Habra! My earthquake map says 19 miles from here.

Screenshot_2014-03-28-21-28-16KCAL 9 news was on. Within a few seconds they were in quake mode. A live seismograph jiggled across the screen.

Much like a bell that had been rung, SoCal was still shaking. It wasn’t strong enough to feel by this time, but more than enough to measure. The quake’s movement covered the entire graph.

Rides at Disneyland have been stopped. The LA subway and other rail lines have slowed down to inspect tracks. Choppers are flying over a water main, now flooding a La Habra intersection.

Tonight’s quake was actually a swarm of quakes. There were at least 10 greater than magnitude 2.0, a few stronger than a 3. We felt a few, though none as strongly as what happened at 9:09 PM PDT.

seismo plotStef felt it in Hollywood too. She had just hung something on the wall and was staring at it as it began to shake.

Back on TV, KCAL went to a live shot from a restaurant here in Orange County. There were broken bottles on the floor, but normal activity had already resumed. Californians have been through this before.

So, this is what it’s like.

Doppler slept.

11 thoughts on “Honey, Wake Up. We’re Having An Earthquake!”

  1. Geoff, when you have a 6.0 or bigger earthquake and if you close to the epic center, you’ll have something to complain about. Hold on to your dishes, because they’ll fly out the cupboard. Stand in a doorway or get under your desk. If you have any bookcases, you should mount them to the walls, so they won’t fall down. You can also get a booklet about what to expect when you have an earthquake and how to prepare for one. There are certain things you should do. I think you can obtain one from the State of CA.

  2. Exciting and terrifying? I ask exciting because CA earthquakes have always been part of the news and the few little tremors we’ve had in CT must seem so insignificant. Glad all or okay, and Miss Doppler wasn’t phased 🙂

  3. Major reason I don’t find CA an attractive place to live. The big one will happen one day and I don’t want to experience that! Stay safe.

  4. Wow!! Cant’t believe Doppler didn’t wake up. Usually animals are the first ones to sense things like that. Glad everyone is ok.

    1. Lorraine, you are right, usually animals can tell before an earthquake strikes.

      When I was residing in So. CA, I experienced a 6.1. They called it the Whittier Narrows earthquake. In fact they were not aware their was fault line in this area. It started shaking a little bit, it shock more & more. My kitchen floor was covered with dishes, can goods and other things. All the dogs in the neighborhood started barking. Anyone with an alarm in their car or home went off. I had some damage to my house, but it wasn’t bad. There are certain guidelines one should follow if they live in an earthquake zone. Over the years that I resided in CA, I felt 100’s of quakes. You just learn to live with them, like you do where are snowstorms, tornados, hurricanes & etc. You need to be prepared with what ever Mother Nature dishes out. If not, you’ll be in trouble.

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