I Got REALLY Lucky

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/12/thoughts-and-prayers-haiti

A Tapestry of Natural Phenomena

A geology professor up at the university estimates that there is a 78% probability of a 5.0 aftershock within seven days of the main quake (which was Saturday at 4:30pm), and a 5-10% chance of an even larger (than 6.5) temblor in that period. The fact that there were seven quake events of at least 6.2 magnitude in a 10-month period of 1991-92 (see post below) does not fill me with comfort.

We did have some damage here after all. One of the massive water tanks, which holds the water pumped up from the well down by the river, shifted sometime during or after the quake. The now-tilting tank put some pressure on a PVC pipe, which pulled at this joint and that, causing one of the joints to snap. I first noticed problems with the water yesterday, when it was milky and seemed almost carbonated, but didn't think anything of it. This morning, however, the pressure in my shower was noticeably less, and it was spitting and coughing, indicating the presence of air in the pipes. I talked to my landlord about it, and we went to investigate in the pump house, where we saw the break. It's being repaired now, but I've been without water all day.

Water is soon not going to be in short supply, as the sky has gotten apocalyptically dark. There's a big thunderstorm on the radar just offshore (it's probably raining on the quake's epicenter right now), biding its time before coming ashore and beginning the three days of predicted rain.

So after feeling the earth move under my feet, soon we'll have the sky tumbling down (a-tumbling down.) I just hope I don't lose control, down to my very soul, and get hot and cold, all over, all over, all over, all over.

The Hits Just Keep On Coming

We had another 4.1 aftershock at about 10:30 last night. I was reading in bed at that time and didn't notice a thing. I have, however, begun to notice, or perhaps imagine, subtle shaking from time to time. It might be little aftershock, or it might just be my blood pressure; who can say?

I hope the worst is over for this event, but a disquieting history lesson was dropped on my doorstep this morning (see left; click to enlarge.) I don't know about you, but by the end of April 1992, I'd have moved the hell outta here.

(The table is published in today's edition of the Times-Standard.)

I Got Lucky

My friends L&D live in Eureka, and I have not been able to reach them by telephone. So today I decided to drive up there to make sure everything was all right. When I got there, it was immediately obvious that they were gone for the weekend (mail in the mailbox, car gone, etc.), so I decided I should check on the cats and make sure there wasn't anything (like a gas leak) that needed immediate attention. Using the spare key, I let myself in and looked around.

First and foremost, I located all three cats, and they were safe and healthy, their normal selves. They had food and clean water and were fine. There were no gas leaks, the power was on, and there seemed to be no immediate danger to anyone.

While there was no significant damage, most every room in the house was a jumble of fallen and broken items. In the dining room (above right; click on the picture to enlarge it), a curio shelf had collapsed, taking numerous china pieces to their doom. The kitchen was a mess of broken glass, and the bathroom had toiletries all over the place. But the TV was upright, and so were all the stereo components, and even the Christmas tree!

I went upstairs, where they have two rooms that are mostly just used for storage. One of them was a mess, but it's always a mess, and we won't go into that. :) The other, however, looked like a very selective miniature tornado had visited it (left.) A big filing cabinet had fallen over and spilled its contents, and a number of books had fallen off bookshelves. However, most of the books were still in their proper places, evidently undisturbed.

All throughout the house, almost every cabinet door, closet door, or room door that could be open was open. To my mind, this seems to defy the randomness of the event. I can see why the shaking would swing closed doors open, but why would at least some of them not then swing shut again?

Anyway, I took some pictures and otherwise left the mess alone. They may want to document the state of the place for insurance purposes, and/or just see what the aftermath of a 6.5 looks like. Furthermore, it wouldn't be up to me to decide what is garbage and what should be kept for possible repair. I decided that the best course of action was to leave a message about the condition, offer my cleanup help when they want it, and otherwise leave things as they were.

Nineteen Hours Later

"Earthquake? What earthquake?"