Last week the Mid-West had an earthquake, which was rare compared to the numerous ones that have happened on the West coast. Blogger, Patrick of "Loose Ends" was interested in reading about the earthquake we had in 2001 and the connection I made to the "birds on the telephone lines" that were viewed in the artist's pictures on his blog. I dedicate this entry to Patrick.
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The Nisqually Earthquake happened on 28-Feb-2001 on a Wednesday at 10:54AM Pacific Time. It was measured at 6.8 on the Richter’s Scale. Damage occurred from Olympia, Wa., the capital of the state, to Seattle and all the areas falling into the quake zone.
I was at an hospital in Tacoma seeing a patient at the time, when I happened to look out the window watching the birds on the telephone line whilst listening to my patient when suddenly, the earth jarred, jolted and started rolling for about 45 seconds. The act of the earth rolling back and forth moved the telephone poles apart from each other and in the process, the birds became projectiles, not unlike a stone in a slingshot. It was interesting seeing them one moment resting on the lines and the next second being shot off of them. My next thought was to look over at Mt. Rainer, an active volcano in the Cascade chain of the Rockies, to see if it had started an eruption. It was fine, so of course, we all came to realize we were having an earthquake. We were better off staying where we were so I reassured the patient and made sure we were not near a window that could explode during the stress of the building moving back and forth. Dust came out of the tile drop ceilings and we hung on and waited for it to stop.
The hospital has had many different sections added to it, at different phases of its growth. The towers, where the patient’s rooms were located, continued to move back and forth for an additional three to five minutes after the quake stopped. It was designed to do just that, in dispensing the force created by the earthquake. This hospital had virtually no damage done to it as a result of its design.
I tried my cell phone to call my other half and see if he was ok, and at his building in Olympia, the parking lot looked like a roller coaster whilst the earthquake was active. He helped one of his employees up off of the ground when she lost her balance during its movement. He was fine and when I tried calling him about an hour later, all the cell lines were busy, so I got through to him before everyone went to the phones to check the status of their own loved ones.
This was the third earthquake I have experienced whilst living in the Pacific North West and certainly, the worst one so far.
The Nisqually Earthquake happened on 28-Feb-2001 on a Wednesday at 10:54AM Pacific Time. It was measured at 6.8 on the Richter’s Scale. Damage occurred from Olympia, Wa., the capital of the state, to Seattle and all the areas falling into the quake zone.
I was at an hospital in Tacoma seeing a patient at the time, when I happened to look out the window watching the birds on the telephone line whilst listening to my patient when suddenly, the earth jarred, jolted and started rolling for about 45 seconds. The act of the earth rolling back and forth moved the telephone poles apart from each other and in the process, the birds became projectiles, not unlike a stone in a slingshot. It was interesting seeing them one moment resting on the lines and the next second being shot off of them. My next thought was to look over at Mt. Rainer, an active volcano in the Cascade chain of the Rockies, to see if it had started an eruption. It was fine, so of course, we all came to realize we were having an earthquake. We were better off staying where we were so I reassured the patient and made sure we were not near a window that could explode during the stress of the building moving back and forth. Dust came out of the tile drop ceilings and we hung on and waited for it to stop.
The hospital has had many different sections added to it, at different phases of its growth. The towers, where the patient’s rooms were located, continued to move back and forth for an additional three to five minutes after the quake stopped. It was designed to do just that, in dispensing the force created by the earthquake. This hospital had virtually no damage done to it as a result of its design.
I tried my cell phone to call my other half and see if he was ok, and at his building in Olympia, the parking lot looked like a roller coaster whilst the earthquake was active. He helped one of his employees up off of the ground when she lost her balance during its movement. He was fine and when I tried calling him about an hour later, all the cell lines were busy, so I got through to him before everyone went to the phones to check the status of their own loved ones.
This was the third earthquake I have experienced whilst living in the Pacific North West and certainly, the worst one so far.
Here are some additional pictures of the city of Olympia and the last one of Seattle.
The 4th Avenue bridge had to be completely replaced due to the extensive structural damage.
There were many buckled sidewalks and roadways around Capitol Lake near the Capitol Building.
Luckily, no one was injured when all of this fell from this building during the earthquake.
This car was totalled by all the falling bricks from that heavily damaged building in Seattle.
13 comments:
I sure don't miss that about California. I used to think earthquakes were fun until the 94 quake in Los Angeles. That cured my excitement.
The California earthquake of 94 was horrible. I remember seeing pictures of the double-decker bridge collapsed upon itself and knowing that Seattle has that same bridge design on one of theirs is not comforting.
The Nisqually earthquake would have been worse if it hadn't bee so deep. As it was, there was enough damage to keep our attention.
It looks like you made a good move.
Those seismically flung birds must have been quite a sight. I imagine the birds were rather surprised as well.
I was awakened by an earthquake, a rare earthquake, in NY in the eighties. It was felt on Staten Island.
I was a part of the earthquake in the midwest, and was woken up by it, but never realized what it was until I turned on the news. The epicenter was miles and miles away, so we just felt a bit of shaking. All in all, enough to wake me but not enough for realization. I don't relish the idea of really understanding what one feels like! I have lived through enough Tornadoes, one hurricane, and lot's of severe tropical storms (lived in FL for a few years), to cure my lust for experience in that department. Glad you and your partner made it through okay!
Joe: The slingshot effect was a surprise though I think none were injured. My attention went to Mt. Rainer. It isn't a question of "if" it will erupt but, "when." When it does, it will make Mt. St. Helen's eruption look like child's play.
The recent Mid-west earthquake and the one you experienced in New York show us that it can happen anywhere. The Nasqually Earthquake epicenter was only about five miles away from where we live, yet, it did damage all the way to Seattle, which is about an hour away by expressway. It was a good thing it was so deep or we would have had much more damage.
Tater: It usually takes a moment to realize what has happened. One other time, we had been sitting at our kitchen work table eating when one occurred. My stool rolled only once and that was it. I asked my partner if we just had an earthquake and he said no. ;-) I turned on the news and sure enough, it was an earthquake, but only one thud and it was over. We've experienced about three or four of them since we moved here.
I grew up in the Mid-west as well, and had experienced tornados. Those and thunder, lightning storms are frightening enough.
Watching the earth move around with rolling and shaking is a real bazaar experience. Our home made it through without much damage, save a crack line in the ceiling between our dining room and the hallway. If this earthquake hadn't been so deep at the epicenter, this could have been worse. Many folks lost their chimneys in the shake. Thanks for your kind words at the end of your comment.
April 24, 2008 11:47 PM
Joe, I remember that earthquake! It woke me in my dorm, where I thought it was the furnace coming on, until the television reminded me there was no furnace in that part of the building.
Then there was the surprise of hearing the epicenter triangulated between three towns (in the center of which was my Adirondack hometown). Fortunately, it was more novelty than anything else.
I'm surprised that the birds were...is it only foreshadowing that they suddenly fly off moments before in all those earthquake movies?
Greg: I wish I could say that the birds flew off before the earthquake. I think it caught them off guard too, when they were slingshot off of the lines.
Poor birdies. :(
I felt a tremor once. It came up through Toronto via Pittsburgh?if I'm not mistaken.
It was a weird feeling.
My dad reported it to the news station and they came to film him.
His fifteen minutes.
But then the following week a twister, and that one really freaked me out!
xo
How ya doin, Butch?
I just read Joe's comment.
Seismically flung!!!
that is genius Joe, pure genius.
xo
Butch you have to agree!
Gillian: Hi, long time no see. Tremors are really strange when you first feel them. When I was sitting on a stool and it happened I thought I was getting dizzy for a second or so until it dawned on me what was happening. I've been in one tornado and when we were kids went to Flint, Michigan to see the damage that twister did back in the 50s. Not fun.
( That was your dad's 15 minutes of fame, eh, and a televison crew to document it. ) ;-)
I agree with you regarding Joe's genius. I love a well formed phrase and Joe has mastered the art of using the English language with these beauties to his benefit. ( and ours as well ) ;-)
Thanks for sharing this story, Dear Butch. I'm touched at having it dedicated to me; I won't question the fact that it concerns a natural disaster. I've been called that before. :)
I got a note from my mom mentioning that the family dog came to wake her up just before the earthquake hit. Fang only goes upstairs under duress (that's where the abomination known as baths happen!), so she clearly thought Mom needed to be informed. Like Greg, I was surprised the birds were caught off-guard by the quake too, but then I think, if I were a bird, I would find it rather fun to be catapulted into the air. I imagine it would be the aerial equivalent of a diving board. Shows you how my brain works.
Patrick: You are most welcome! I would never think of you and natural disaster in the same vein; you appear to me to have your head in the right place.
What a wonderful and heroic dog your mother has, especially when she has to go into an area of the potential bath site to deliver warnings. ;-)
The slingshot effect is something I will never forget and never would think something like that were possible with telephone poles, their lines and the birds on them.
Your featured artist's pictures of the birds on the lines triggered my memory to this earthquake, and therefore, this story.
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