About 20 minutes ago I was standing out on our back deck with Poppy and Ginger, filling the plastic pool from the hose. Both neighbors have been having work done in and out of their houses so when a loud vibration started I thought nothing of it. But when the entire deck, shed and house behind me shook violently, my heart stopped and my mind raced. Drilling? Massive vehicle? Surely not...an earthquake?
In a few seconds it was over and I brought the girls inside, too freaked out to think clearly. In a hurricane, get to a bathroom. In an earthquake...? In or outside? My elderly neighbors came over to see if we were OK and to make sure they weren't going crazy. Things had fallen off their shelves. Pictures had swung on their nails. My friend texted to see if we felt it. I went online to get some news. 5.8 or 5.9 apparently, and felt from NC to MA. Centered near or around Richmond, maybe?
I just talked to the UPS guy and asked if he's seen any damage. He said no, mostly car alarms. He was walking on a driveway and didn't even feel it. Said his fiance in Fredericksburg (halfway to Richmond) had to evacuate the building where she works for stuff falling. I am anxious to get Hazel home from school and gather my chicks under my wings.
Needless to say, we are...shaken.
UPDATE: From the Post. Gotta say, the suggestion this was a foreshock is not comforting.
6 comments:
Glad you are okay! We felt it pretty strongly all the way up in Brooklyn, though definitely not as strongly as you likely felt it. Still, though -- earthquakes are terrifying!
Yikes! I'm glad that you are all alright. My thoughts are with you.
Glad to know you guys are okay. We immediately thought of you and another real estate agent friend who just relocated to the metro D.C. area. We felt the shaking and swaying out here, too. Denial at first... but then terrifying to realize it was an earthquake. It felt like it lasted longer than a few seconds though. Wow. It's definitely time to take a closer look through our 72-hour emergency kits.
I'm glad you guys are ok I hope it's not a foreshock!
I was just coming up my walk when I heard and felt it. I was surprised by the loud rumble. At first I thought something had gone wrong with the metro construction near us. Ironically, I just returned from 3 weeks in Peru and never felt a tremor in that earthquake-prone place, but arrived home for the tremor of the century! Glad you're ok.
I have to admit, my first thought was someone has detonated a huge dirty bomb.
With that in mind, realizing it was an earthquake was relieving.
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