Yesterday was the anniversary of the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
The reason I remember it is because that was the day I started working for an escort service.
It struck at 4:30 a.m. and was the strongest (6.7 magnitude) earthquake I've ever felt. Most earthquakes feel like you're standing on a floating dock (depending on the distance) but this one picked me up then dropped me. Thankfully, I was in bed and just bounced.
Most people around here talk about the 1971 Sylmar quake (6.6 mag at 6 a.m.) as being the strongest they've ever felt but I slept through it. The brothers still tease me about waking up afterwards and bitching about them running around and screaming.
In 1987, we had a 5.9 mag quake hit nearby at 7:45 a.m. I was in a college class at the time and it wasn't that bad. BUT, 3 days later a 5.3 aftershock hit.
Next thing I knew, I was sitting outside my door at 4 a.m., wondering what the hell happened. I still say that I started screaming when my brother picked me up and carried me out of the house. He still insists that he picked me up because I was screaming.
He wouldn't necessarily know this about me, but I'm not a screamer. At least not due to a fear of earthquakes. ; )
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Btw, I worked as a dispatcher for a funeral escort service. I made sure everyone was where they were suppposed to be and on-time.
What did you think I meant?
Well I went the wrong way on that one because, well, you are you and we never know what to expect.
ReplyDeleteYeah right, a FUNERAL escort service... :)
ReplyDeleteI've never felt a quake but I'm sure at some point in my life I will.
You definitely had me going!
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of California, earthquake is always the first thing that comes to mind. That's why I've never wanted to go there... because I'm just not that lucky! The way I see it, if I did and they had a quake, I'd die of a heart attack!
Dead people are the only ones who would want me as an escort...
ReplyDeleteFuneral service? Well, there's a "stiff" joke in there somewhere.
ReplyDeleteGirl, you crazy. So crazy I might believe anything... and I mean that in the best possible way! :)
ReplyDeleteYou totally had me going.
I was waiting for it!
ReplyDeleteLOLOL!
Oh, that's exactly what I thought you meant. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI remember the Whittier earthquake in 88 and the San Francisco quake in 89. Whittier didn't bother me, but San Francisco scared me half to death.
And then there was Northridge. It's hard to believe it's been almost 20 years since the last major earthquake in California.
The biggest earthquake I recall was the 6.8 one that hit Seattle in 2001. I had just parked my car when it hit and before I even got out of my car, suddenly it was violently shaking side to side. I had no idea what was happening. At first I thought someone was messing with me and jumping on the back of my car, but then I realized all the other cars in the parking lot were shaking too. The cars were rocking side to side so violently that I was actually afraid the van next to me would fall over against my itty bitty Pontiac Fiero and pin me in it. (Eeeep!) But that didn't happen.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how long the quake went on, but it felt like forever. I just sat in my shaking car horrified, watching all the windows in the building bending in and out and all the lamp posts bending back and forth like the whole world was made of rubber! I couldn't believe I was seeing glass windows and metal lamp posts move like that! It was like being in a cartoon. The only things that didn't seem to move were the trees. Totally bizarre!