The bathroom started to shake and I heard a loud boom. The windows sounded like they were breaking. Did a plane hit my building? Then the rumbling continued, the paintings shook and stuff started falling off the shelves. An earthquake?!? But, I’m in Virginia!!!

I started quickly processing everything I know about earthquakes. Namely, that I didn’t expect it in this part of the world!

1. Leave the building. I can’t, it’s too far to the stairwell.
2. Hide under a table. I can’t, all the tables have glass tops.
3. Stand in a door jam. Perfect, I’m in the bathroom already.
4. Outfitted correctly, just in case. My running shoes are ten feet from me – I grabbed them and a sweatshirt. Thickest sole around if I have to go through glass!

It was a very, very long 43 seconds. Then the shaking stopped. My mind was still racing. Is the entire building still standing? We were swaying violently! Well, my balcony is still there.

It turned out we were okay, as was most of the DC area. The real problem with an earthquake in the northeast is that, unlike California, there is no earthquake building code. And, brick buildings are more susceptible to shaking. But, 5.8 isn’t a really bad earthquake – the problem here is the earth’s crust is cold and hard so the shock waves travel – in this case, for hundreds of miles.

With climate change advancing quickly, now is the time to BE PREPARED for anything, anytime, anywhere! Just because the news says there hasn’t, “been a storm this bad in a hundred years” doesn’t mean it isn’t going happen again soon. BTW, meteorologists didn’t have equipment to track this sort of thing a hundred years ago, so let’s go with “it’s never happened”.

In California, most people have a small bag packed in their cars, and one by their front door. If an earthquake happens and they can’t get into their homes (or worse case, their home isn’t there anymore) they at least have essential items available.

So, BE PREPARED:
1. Pack a bag
2. Have enough water/food for two weeks in case the electricity goes out (and make sure the can opener doesn’t have rust on it).
3. Have an alternate heat source (during colder parts of the year).
4. Have copies of important documents.
5. Have a strategy for evacuation.
6. Designate a place for family/loved ones to leave a message.

Hope you slid through the last climate change event beautifully! I have to run – have a Category 3 Hurricane coming my way! XO