The Big One...2001 Nisqually Earthquake...
For me February 28th (tomorrow) will remain in the "Where were you and what were you doing when..." category. You know what I mean - "What were you doing when Kennedy was shot?" "Where were you when the first men walked on the moon?".
Twenty years ago tomorrow (we were living in Seattle) I was saying goodbye to our friend Tom who'd dropped in for a coffee. As we stood in the doorway, I heard the strangest rumbling noise. Tom, a Washington born and bred fellow said "Uh oh!" followed by "Earthquake!". He was right, and we huddled there for what seemed an eternity (but was really only a minute or two), watching the ground furiously tremble and shake and the chimney on the house next door wobble back and forth. The Nisqually Earthquake was apparently the most powerful earthquake in the Pacific Northwest in more than half a century.
The official stats of this earthquake were these: time - 10:54 a.m., Feb. 28, 2001; magnitude - 6.8; epicenter location - 30 miles below the earth near Olympia, south of Seattle.
Because all the phone lines were inoperative, Tim, who was at work downtown, and I were unable to make contact until at last an email went through. As I recall, there was one death indirectly attributed to the earthquake (heart attack) but billions of dollars worth of damage. All in all, it was very scary, and an air of apprehension remained for weeks afterwards. The new cat who'd arrived the night before cowered under the bed for ages. Amazingly, the only casualties in the house were a glass which had fallen off a table in the landlady's apartment and a few books which fell from a shelf. Many other folks were not so lucky.
It was a reminder of the power of Nature.
It seems like yesterday...it seems like forever ago.
So it goes.
Twenty years ago tomorrow (we were living in Seattle) I was saying goodbye to our friend Tom who'd dropped in for a coffee. As we stood in the doorway, I heard the strangest rumbling noise. Tom, a Washington born and bred fellow said "Uh oh!" followed by "Earthquake!". He was right, and we huddled there for what seemed an eternity (but was really only a minute or two), watching the ground furiously tremble and shake and the chimney on the house next door wobble back and forth. The Nisqually Earthquake was apparently the most powerful earthquake in the Pacific Northwest in more than half a century.
The official stats of this earthquake were these: time - 10:54 a.m., Feb. 28, 2001; magnitude - 6.8; epicenter location - 30 miles below the earth near Olympia, south of Seattle.
Because all the phone lines were inoperative, Tim, who was at work downtown, and I were unable to make contact until at last an email went through. As I recall, there was one death indirectly attributed to the earthquake (heart attack) but billions of dollars worth of damage. All in all, it was very scary, and an air of apprehension remained for weeks afterwards. The new cat who'd arrived the night before cowered under the bed for ages. Amazingly, the only casualties in the house were a glass which had fallen off a table in the landlady's apartment and a few books which fell from a shelf. Many other folks were not so lucky.
It was a reminder of the power of Nature.
It seems like yesterday...it seems like forever ago.
So it goes.