All Shook Up

Yesterday a major earthquake struck Sumatra island near Padang, Indonesia, and while the initial death toll was 200, it will climb in the next couple days because people are still trapped under the collapsed buildings.

I was aware that earthquakes occur in the region. After all, the devastating 2004 tsunami was caused by an earthquake also near Sumatra. I just hadn't considered that they would be strong enough to be felt in Singapore. I was doing a craft project with the girls shortly before dinner and as Delia and I were cleaning up the table, the floor began to shake. I honestly questioned whether it was actually moving or if my equilibrium was off, until I looked at the expression on Delia's face and realized I wasn't the only one feeling it! It only lasted a few seconds and the girls didn't even seem to notice what was happening. A few minutes later Brian sent me a message confirming that there had been an earthquake in Indonesia.

I felt an aftershock this morning that felt completely different than yesterday. While getting dressed, I felt a swaying motion similar to rocking in a boat that only lasted a few seconds. It was an odd sensation. It's also interesting that when talking to friends about it last night, only half of us had felt the quake. I think that depending on where people were on the island and what they were doing at the time, they could have mistaken what was happening. Brian missed it because he was in the elevator. When he exited, the building management was announcing that it was "investigating the vibrations."

As expected, Singapore is already inspecting buildings to ensure that no structures have been compromised. My understanding is that Singapore is far enough away from the Ring of Fire that it will only experience mild tremors. I had always wondered what it would be like to feel the earth move. I'm thankful it was just a mild taste.