Earthquake

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Did anyone feel the earthquake that hit the American Midwest early Friday morning? I thought it was rather cool. I was half-asleep and the bed started shaking. It lasted about 5-10 minutes. It freaked a lot of people out, they were calling 911.

not too severe earth quakes are great if have been through them before.
there was one here this year which almost threw am off the bed,but knew what it was,the night staff didnt,they thought the building was falling down.

My father felt it yesterday morning in southwest Michigan. The house shook pretty hard and the windows rattled waking him up. He couldn't figure out what it was at first. He said it reminded him of a heavy train going by yet there was no sound.

I wasn't aware that earthquakes were even possible in Michigan. I lived there for the first 20 years of my life and never felt a single earthquake. It's ironic that I've been in Seattle for two years and haven't even felt an earthquake yet (knock on wood).

I did feel one several years ago when I was in Costa Rica. It started out feeling just like a heavy train going by, but by the end it built up to the point where I could actually feel the ground moving up and down under my feet by an inch or so. It was a really scary feeling when that started happening. It almost knocked me off my feet. Thankfully the strong part only lasted 3 or 4 seconds and then it was over. The whole thing lasted about 15 seconds.

There was quite a stir about it in another thread, along with a news link:

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt63371.html

I've never felt an earthquake. It might sound odd, but I've always wanted to experience one. I would love to be standing in the center of a large open field, and experience a 10.0+.

the shaking from a 10.0 with you standing would throw you on the ground so hard it would cause severe injuries and dislocations

OK, I'll change it to a 7.0. I think that would be pretty violent, but definitely manageable. Probably like riding a bull with no horns.

hmm.. still sounds risky lol...

you might need to change your name to jawbrokt as you break your jaw from hitting the concrete floor

I'm waiting for the big one, to happen in my area.

The quake was a loud 'burp' of sorts from the long-dormant New Madrid fault line, which is causing some concern. Bear in mind, this fault line was responsible for one of the largest earthquakes in American history (late 1800's) - a quake so powerful that the earth beneath the Mississippi river buckled upward several feet, causing the mighty river to run backwards for several days. It's been quiet for a long, long time and this recent quake was long overdue. I just hope it's not a precursor to a much larger one.

should i start working on building an earthquake shelter? you know, giant shock mounted underground room

Actually, if a great quake hits, the last place you'd want to be is underground. There is nothing man-made that can stand up to the grinding of billions of pounds of earth against itself. The walls could collapse and an underground shelter could become your tomb. The safest place to be is in a bathroom or a doorway (the most reinforced portions of your house). If the house you live in collapses, these are the parts that will most likely remain standing. I grew up in California, earthquake country. and this is what we were always taught. Don't go outside during a quake, either. I made that mistake during the Landers quake, a 7.2 that hit in the middle of the night. Things were rocking and rolling so bad that a long, steel parking lot gate swung around and slammed into me, knocking me down and cutting a deep gash in my leg. Things can fall on you, too, like high voltage wires and so on.

alright... uhh... i cant get into our bahtroom.. so i will drive into a doorway in my powerchair... uhh.. not good... uhh.. im kind of the doomed one here... uhh... PANIC!! !!

PS - people in the Midwest are used to dealing with tornadoes - which you can actually see coming (or get word about them from the TV or radio) just before they hit. An earthquake will have no warning, so there's not time to do anything 'beforehand.' Strapples - If you get another quake, just stay away from windows (glass will blow inward while your house shakes) and get to a doorway or bathroom as soon as you feel the trembling. They also say to crawl under a table or other piece of sturdy furniture, but since your chair would prevent that, best thing to do is get in a doorway, away from any objects that might fall on you.

You don't have a bathroom doorway wide enough for your chair? If that's not an option, just head for a wider doorway you can fit under. As long as you're in the doorway, you'll be okay as long as you stay put. Doorways are reinforced above your head and they're strong enough to keep the roof from caving in on top of you. Most times, if there's a roof collapse in a quake, the celing falls in near the dead center of a room. I've ridden out many a big quake in a doorway and I'm still here. Quakes usually only last a few seconds.

our bathroom is not accessible so ill park in the livingroom doorway