This morning an earthquake hit Denmark. Not to worry, it was measured to be only 4.8 on the Richter magnitude scale, which is not really that much. However, it was the strongest quake to hit Denmark since 1930, which is almost considered never, as that is how long quakes have been recorded here. It managed to shake some people out of bed, throw pictures and paintings on the floor and break some china. And it made the headlines in the morning news (see picture). The epicenter was in south of Sweden, therefore the tremors were more evident in the eastern part of Denmark, and there people reported even cracks in the ceiling.
I slept gladly through it, which is highly unusual, as I am a light sleeper. Some twenty years ago I could sleep through anything, which was constantly envied by others. There could have been a freight train going straight through the room, and I would continue sleeping. I guess that is the privilege of youth. I have to say though, that I did awake suddenly around the time the quake was supposed to have hit. I remember this as I looked at the watch and was happy to realize that I still had an hour left in bed. People close to the epicenter also reported strange behaviour in animals and pets just prior to the incident. I have always found it fascinating, how animals can sense these occurrences long before we do.
12 comments:
I've never experienced an earthquake (not that I'm complaining) but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I did... and her behavior throughout my pregancy was a bit bizarre. Once the baby got here, though, she was fine (whew). :)
We had a series of quakes about a year or two ago in Kenya and i was terrified. Not of hte quakes themselves, per se. Those were pretty small. But construction standards being what they are in the developping world, and the fact that i lived on the top floor of our building... LOL
All the better for us to attract wildlife to our gardens to act as early warning systems.
Eartquakes really scare me as I live in major earthquake territory. I imagine that the anticipation may be worse then the actual event. One can hope ;). I am certainly glad that you slept through yours, and that no damage was done to your lovely house on the hill. :)
I've never experienced an earthquake. Such a scary thought. I would like to say I would know what to do in a situation like that, but I would be lying. Glad to hear that you got through it fine and dandy and without any lost sleep. :-)
When I was living in Richmond, one late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, I was reading a book in bed and there was a party going on in an apartment across the street. All of a sudden there was this loud thump that shook my bedroom. I thought that someone from the party had climbed the tree outside of my building and jumped onto my balcony, but there was nobody there when I checked. The next morning on the news, they announced that we had an earthquake overnight!
I'm glad to hear that you are safe and sound! It is very interesting that you woke around the time the quake hit. Perhaps something deep within you sensed it.
Have you heard the term "earthquake weather"? It's something I grew up hearing and understanding very well.
It's an eerie stillness that you just can't explain.
I was in Northridge, CA at the time of the Northridge quake. I have never been tossed around so violently and uncontrollably. I was aching for days and days after. The built in stove in the apartment where I was sleeping detached from the wall completely. Jewelry from the bathroom turned up in the living room and kitchen. The only picture that didn't fall from the wall was the one hanging above the head of the bed where I was sleeping.
Sorry to ramble....just thought I'd share a bit of what a shaker is like with your readers who haven't experienced one. :)
Again, I'm glad your home didn't sustain any damage. Stay safe and well!
Wow, that's scary. Glad to hear you're ok.
I do belive animals and pets can sense things before we do. They're amazing little creatures!
This reminds me of the time a tornado hit our house years ago in Cape May, NJ. It hit our house at night, blowing the roof off and destoyed just about everything. Luckily I woke right before it happened and was safe. The whole window casing came in on the bed.
Terrible experience, and one I hope never happens again.
Happy to hear you're safe.
Hugs,
Donna
Diane, it is amazing how animals can sense things we cannot. There are many stories constantly in the new about pets saving their owners from fires and even getting help in emergencies.;)
Cairo, I can completely imagine how frightening that must have been; especially when you feel the constructions are unsafe. But it always makes up for good stories afterwards, to tell to friend and family.;)
Mahmud, I agree.:) I only grow flowers that attract butterflies, even though they probably will not warn me about anything, they are pretty to look at.;)))
Holly, yes I can imagine to you this is every day reality. I was thinking about you yesterday and realized how scary it must be at times. Here in Denmark there is very little chance, none actually, that an earthquake will ever do any real damage, as we are not prone to have those here. Yesterday was a rarity. But I remember when I once visited San Francisco, we lived on top of a high-rise hotel and there was all kind of instructions in the hotel room on what to do in case of a quake. I must admit I found that a bit unnerving.
Michelle, the same here. As we are not in any danger of quakes, there is really not much I know about them. In fact, yesterday in the news the fact was discussed that some people wanted to claim insurances on their damaged property after yesterdays tremors; but unfortunately the insurances here are not valid for quakes as these never occur.;)
Mel that must have been a similar occurrence to the one yesterday here. In fact on the news there was a clip from a radio broadcasting that was televised, by a chance. There was an x-mass tree in front of the camera and one could clearly see the ornaments shaking. The DJ then said; “ I am not sure folks, but if I did not know better, I would have said that there was a minor earthquake some seconds ago”. And he learned later that he was right.;)
Belle, that sounds really scary!!! Glad you were all right. It must have bee some shaking when you could feel pain and aches for days after. And a stove that detached! Thank you for sharing this experience, I can totally understand that it left you with really amazing memories.;)
Aw Donna, that must have been really unnerving. I experienced two hurricanes in my life, and it reminds me a bit of that. Glad you were fine and I also hope you will not need to experience this again. I agree about the animals, I feel safe having them around in this respect.;))
Thank you again everyone for thinking about my safety; I am very well and my house is fine as well:;))
Holly hit the nail on the head - anyone living in an earthquake zone knows that the anticipation can be horrible. You get a bit of shaking and then you wonder if it's going to get really bad! We have earthquakes here all the time, but they're rarely felt. When they are it's not a pleasant experience. Occasionally we get a big one and I wouldn't wish that on anyone - you're completely out of control.
A 4.8 is not a small earthquake. It's certainly not big but it'll cause damage.
As for sleeping through earthquakes, I'm lke you, I used to be a heavy sleeper. I slept through a 5.6 mag earthquake about 10 years ago and blamed the cats for all the books on the floor when I woke up. Now even a small earthquake wakes me up - or the cats in the bookshelves again...
I'm glad it wasn't too serious. I'll bet you sensed it/felt it in your sleep.
Tom, 5.6 and you slept right through it; you must have a very calm personality.;)) I hope you will not have to experience any major quake and can stay safe through the holidays.;))
Hilary, thank you, it was nothing actually. And it is indeed curious that I woke up at exactly the right time.;)
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