last night, at approximately 8pm, there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6. the epicenter was in the alum rock area which is down the mountain from where we live. and i was meeting with betty at chevy's. we were waiting for our food when it felt like someone was kicking at my bar stool, REALLY hard. i turned and looked at betty, wondering if she was the one kicking my chair. but everything was shaking and kinda rolling. some glasses fell. the tvs hanging were swaying. all but one chevy's employee stayed calm. the one darted straight out of there! we all just waited for it to pass. and it did with no real damage to place. we just stayed and finished our meals.
on my way home, i received a call from my dad. he told me the earthquake originated in alum rock and couldn't get in touch with anyone at home. this worried me. what about the kids? are they ok? they must be scared. and i wasn't home to help them. so, i raced home. as i was going up the mountain, i passed some large rocks that had fallen at this hairpin turn. and was glad that i wasn't there when it happened.
i got home and my sister was home. she couldn't really call anyone. she was trying to get back to her boyfriend. she said everyone was fine. the power didn't go out. she was on the road when it happened so she didn't feel it. same with my brother & sister-in-law. they actually didn't have a clue. when i checked my room, there were pictures that were crooked and a few things that fell off my shelves. otherwise, in the same messy condition i'd left it that morning. my sister's room on the other hand, lots of things fell off her shelves. later, lisa says, damn, i can't believe i missed it!
apparently, this earthquake originated on the calaveras fault and 5.7 miles deep. the "big one" is speculated to come from the hayward fault. the last time the calaveras fault made any noise, it was back in 1984 which hit morgan hill with an earthquake at a magnitude of 6.2. still, this is nothing compared with the damage done by the 1989 quake (with a 7.1 magnitude). smaller shakes are so common here that i usually sleep through them. i have to admit, it was a little exciting to have one rolling through. we were due for one. i'm just glad there wasn't much damage as a result.
btw, happy halloween everyone!
