earthquake!!

okay, i live in a very seismographically busy neighbourhood. vancouver has lived with the threat of “the big one” for just as long as any city along the west coast of north america. ever since i can remember, we’ve been encouraged to keep emergency supplies on hand “just in case”. it was always exciting when there was a tectonic shift in the vicinity. for the next two days the first question every one asked was “did you feel it?”
at 10:54 am the building started to shake. you have to take into consideration that the building has been shaking on and off since they started construction here a year ago. we don’t take shaking seriously anymore. this time was different. it didn’t stop. it didn’t diminish. it got worse. it kept shaking. for about a minute solid. after about twenty seconds, everyone in the building collectively realized it wasn’t construction.
although i’ve lived here all my life and survived rumblings in the past, i’ve never actually felt any but one quake. i’ve never stopped to consider if the building i was in was sturdy enough to keep me alive. i did this time. i came as close as i ever have to having my life flash before my eyes. and this was only a 4.7, located 145 miles away in olympia, washington.
i’m feeling a little on-edge right now. i want to find my dad, hug him and tell him how much i love him. i keep waiting for an aftershock. i want to go home and watch the news to find out what the damage was, if any. i want to forget it ever happened and feel safe again.
stop plate tectonics
addendum:
okay, the preliminary information was obviously erring on the side of caution. new reports put the quake between 6.2 and 7 on the richter scale. there is damage in seattle and surrounding area (including the control tower at sea-tac airport), but how extensive it is, i don’t know. check for updates at cnn or cbc. i’m very concerned right now for the people i know who live in the seattle area.