Earthquakes -- 2012

[housecat]

921 is the only one I've ever run outside for. I'd been here just a few months. You bet I ran out, naked and wrapped in a blanket. I climbed onto the trunk of a car parked outside and rode it up and down the street until the thing ended. The Taiwanese stood out on their balconies and stared at the crazy foreigner girl.

I remember that I couldn't believe that people actually got up and went to work/school the next day, dropping their kids off as if it were any other day. I didn't sleep well after that until after Christmas when I went home for a, by then, much, much needed rest.

But later I thought it was likely much safer to have stayed in, because the lane was narrow and if the buildings had come down, they'd have just come down on top of me.

[PigBloodCake]

Man, I am probably the luckiest bastard here cuz I've never (seriously....never) experienced an earthquake higher than a magnitude of 6 (or even 5.5).

Of the time I spent in Cali, I've gotten away with Loma Prieta (1989) and Northridge (1994) by being in the opposite site.

My wife told me 921 was the scariest she had ever felt (and I was still in Cali back then).

God musta love me

[Petrichor]

Petrichor,

The problem is that there is no time to react. Quakes strike too fast. It is dangerous to move when the ground is shaking. I fell once before in the ol' country because of that and took a serious blow to the side. I have been in several over 7 points quakes back where I was born, where as I said we had the luxury of back/front yards, so we got out quickly, but sometimes it is not possible. I have told people here the story of an 8 pointer that caught me downtown in the ol' country, and luckily I was at the entrance of a building that had a huge lawn. Going home was quite a trek, when there are no buses running. The longest quake for me was 921, and we left mostly because of our background, not because other Taiwanese massively scampered for the exits and we followed them -in fact, our landlady accompanied us more amused than worried, but then Taipei was not hit as bad and there was no power to watch TV and see the real damage. It is a 15 floor highrise, mostly old people, they can't rush downstairs if ther eis no elevator, and if no power, no elevator. Our building was quite solid, the one next door had huge pieces on the pavement. Leaving the safety of your home depends on an evaluation of the structure after the fact, and whether you have a plan.

Check the threads here regarding an emergency kit -a must, especially now that typhon season approaches. I am a firm believer in Murphy's Law, which colorary states that if you are ready for it, it won't happen!

Oh, and there is a lot of controversy regarding the triangle of life or whatever. Staircases -survived even 911- on a certain degree door frames, in ultimate case a sturdy table. Even a book over your head. As long as you are safe from stuff falling on you -walls aside- and are able to assess the situation afterwards and act according to a previously established plan, it is OK.

Thanks for the advice.

[Omniloquacious]

921 is the only one I've ever run outside for. I'd been here just a few months. You bet I ran out, naked and wrapped in a blanket.

I experienced my first ever earthquake soon after I got here, in 1986, when I was living in Taipei. It wasn't a massive quake, but did leave 14 dead in the city, and gave me a big scare. I'd never given any thought to what I might do in a quake, since I'd never felt one anywhere before. It happened very early in the morning, when I was asleep in bed. My first impulse was to run outside, but since I was starkers, I thought I'd better tug on a pair of trousers first. That proved a lot harder than I'd thought. Every time I tried to stand up to pull on the trousers, the shaking caused me to fall down. By the time I'd got them on, the shaking had stopped. After that, I made it a general habit to sleep in a pair of shorts, just in case.

When 921 hit, I didn't even try to go outside, but just stayed in the bed until the shaking stopped. Then I went into the study, turned on the radio, and listened to the news for the rest of the night. I put my crash helmet beside me, and donned it whenever the shaking started again. I also intended to crouch under the desk if another big one came, but none of the aftershocks was bad enough to make that necessary. For several years afterwards, I always put my crash helmet next to the bed at night.

I'm petrified by quakes. My wife isn't half as scared, and finds my response quite amusing. My heart pounds madly as soon as I feel a quake starting, and I reckon I'm in at least as much danger of being done for by a heart attack as by any other consequence of a quake.

[housecat]

Yep, Omni. Thanks for sharing. I opted for the blanket because I couldn't manage to dress, either, and didn't want to keep trying! For a while afer that, I always slept in some kind of clothing, but now I make sure it's an oversized T and keep it directly at hand. So, now you know more than you needed to about that! But I'd much rather be caught naked than dead.

I had regular nightmares about quakes after that for ten years. Now, it's only very occasionally. Though I'd felt quakes before, in Cali and S. Korea, I'd never felt anything like THAT. And I'm still very fearful of them, too. And the DO happen much more often than they did before.

[TheGingerMan]

921 is the only one I've ever run outside for. I'd been here just a few months. You bet I ran out, naked and wrapped in a blanket. I climbed onto the trunk of a car parked outside and rode it up and down the street until the thing ended. The Taiwanese stood out on their balconies and stared at the crazy foreigner girl.

A classic tale! Worthy of a regular spin to grandchildren.

~~~~
Obviously, it's wise to wait until the carnage has ceased, or at least taken a breather, before vacating the premises. My tactical upbringing entails that I wait for the soonest possible window, and then exit, usually stage left. Aftershocks, especially the immediate ones, are often the clincher.
921 was such a shaker that I had us get our car and head out into the paddies, where we spent the night. Did not return to the apartment for three days, to spy this massive crack running right up the whole front of the building. About a foot wide in many places, and thrice that at ground level. Concrete had fallen off balconies and crushed a few scooters. I felt that was fine reinforcement for my folding up the flanks, though my wife thought I was a bit of a freak.
Of course, she was right, but so what?

[Baas Babelaas]

Anyone feel some shakers, two sets, around 6.35am today?

[the bear]

Anyone feel some shakers, two sets, around 6.35am today?

not a sausage

[housecat]

Some folks in Pin Dong posted on FB about it. I didn't feel it here in Kaohsiung, but I was likely still sleeping.

[housecat]

STILL moving!