Did the Earth Move For You, Too?

Ah ha. Got you. I bet you thought this post was about something sensual, something telling, something, well, ANYTHING other than an EARTHQUAKE in Illinois. Who would have guessed?

In light of all of Haiti’s recent earthquake troubles, I suppose it’s pretty tasteless to even joke about such things.

But come on. I live in Medinah, a small, unincorporated town--my friend Colleen likens to Andy Griffith’s Mayberry--west of Chicago, and I felt it. Unusual things like this just don’t happen around here...unless, of course, you count the mom fight at the school art fair, but that’s another blog.

Anyway, I woke up about 4:30 Wednesday morning to the sound of my windows rattling and because it felt like everything around me (including me) was vibrating. I remember wondering if it was, in fact, an earthquake, but once I heard the airplane engines overhead (we live in the flight path of O’Hare airport), I figured I was being rather ridiculous...and went back to sleep.

Go figure that it actually was a quake and registered 3.8 on the Richter scale! I do notice that some books on a top shelf of one of my bookcases looks a bit disheveled, but aside from that, nothing seems out of the ordinary. In all fairness, the messy books could be the work of one of my cats or kids. It’s also entirely possible that the books have been that way for days and I am just now noticing.

Realistically, I shouldn’t see any damage from such a minor shake...not until magnitude 5.0, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). For more kid- or adult-friendly information, visit http://www.fema.gov/kids/quake.htm. I just love websites and books for children. They’re so easy to understand.

Since, obviously, I am so-not-an-expert, let’s find out what in the world you should do during an earthquake? Not fall back to sleep, you say? Correct. If you’re inside: drop, cover, and hold on. “If there isn’t a table or desk near you,” FEMA says. “Cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.” For more tips, such as what to do if you happen to be caught outside during a quake, visit http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/eq_during.shtm.

Just curious...if you live in the Chicago area, did the earth move for you? If you live elsewhere, have you ever experienced an earthquake? How did you cope? This was my first one.