Awoken by a 5.1 Friday, based out near the original fault line, near Dunsandel. It was about twenty to 6 this morning, and seemed to last much longer than any other one I had ever felt. I dont really understand the Ricter scale anymore, I think things like the way it moved, i.e. this was more of a rolling one that a jolt, and the depth of it, and of course the location, go a lot further in describing the different sensations of each shake. I think the location seems to be the most important factor, as I have heard people be able to predict which fault line has produced a shake just by the way it feels, or the way it sounds, before it gets reported on Geonet.
I just read it was a VI on the Mercalli Scale. This is defined as being 'felt by everyone. Difficult to stand. Some heavy furniture moved, some plaster falls. Chimneys may be slightly damaged.' However a lot of people were in bed when it happened, thankfully and I did not see any such damage while on my way to work this morning, nor was it mentioned once at morning tea, I suspect we are all just getting very tired of this whole quake business. Im just glad it was not in the middle of the night, like so many of them have been recently. I really did think we were done with them now, it is such a pain to get another reminder that we are still living with this though.
The worst thing about having them so early in the morning is that you spend the rest of the day waiting for another big one to hit, you start to imagine you can feel the tectonic activity building up, but really it is just the tension in your own body. Myself, personally, I spend the day watching for any similarities between the rest of this day and that faithful one of February 22nd; is it a still day? Unusually quite? Was that another aftershock, or just a truck passing outside? I worry that if I stop thinking about it for a minute that this when it will strike and I will be caught off-guard again. I really dont want to live like this anymore. Do not get me wrong, I love living in this city, but it is just when you have to walk into every room and be aware of anything that might fall on you, anything valuable that might be damaged, where the escape routes are, how you are going to get home if another one happens, and which of your friends you need to be in contact with first, it all just gets a little exhausting. Day- to- day these are not things you consider all the time, though we probably are more aware not, but when you are awoken by a 5.1 its on your mind for the day.
In saying that there are some changes I have made in my daily life. I look at petrol lights of friends cars, warning them not to let them go too low, just in case. I save large juice bottles for water, just in case. Every night I leave my glasses within reach and in a place I know they wont get smashed, if anything did happen. And my keys and handbag I try always to keep near or on my person, especially in the office, as you never know when you might have to make a dash.
Last quake post. Promise
I just read it was a VI on the Mercalli Scale. This is defined as being 'felt by everyone. Difficult to stand. Some heavy furniture moved, some plaster falls. Chimneys may be slightly damaged.' However a lot of people were in bed when it happened, thankfully and I did not see any such damage while on my way to work this morning, nor was it mentioned once at morning tea, I suspect we are all just getting very tired of this whole quake business. Im just glad it was not in the middle of the night, like so many of them have been recently. I really did think we were done with them now, it is such a pain to get another reminder that we are still living with this though.
The worst thing about having them so early in the morning is that you spend the rest of the day waiting for another big one to hit, you start to imagine you can feel the tectonic activity building up, but really it is just the tension in your own body. Myself, personally, I spend the day watching for any similarities between the rest of this day and that faithful one of February 22nd; is it a still day? Unusually quite? Was that another aftershock, or just a truck passing outside? I worry that if I stop thinking about it for a minute that this when it will strike and I will be caught off-guard again. I really dont want to live like this anymore. Do not get me wrong, I love living in this city, but it is just when you have to walk into every room and be aware of anything that might fall on you, anything valuable that might be damaged, where the escape routes are, how you are going to get home if another one happens, and which of your friends you need to be in contact with first, it all just gets a little exhausting. Day- to- day these are not things you consider all the time, though we probably are more aware not, but when you are awoken by a 5.1 its on your mind for the day.
In saying that there are some changes I have made in my daily life. I look at petrol lights of friends cars, warning them not to let them go too low, just in case. I save large juice bottles for water, just in case. Every night I leave my glasses within reach and in a place I know they wont get smashed, if anything did happen. And my keys and handbag I try always to keep near or on my person, especially in the office, as you never know when you might have to make a dash.
Last quake post. Promise
Can't even imagine what being woken by an earthquake must be like!!!