5.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Virginia
Russell Brands, 34, is a Louisa County resident who was at work during the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Virginia and more than a dozen states in the United States. This is his account of how the earthquake affected his daily schedule. The interview was held at a restaurant over a cup of coffee.
What do you remember about 23 August, 2011?
I woke up just like a normal day and readied myself for work. When I left the house my family was still asleep. It was a typical warm summer day. I felt the quake tremors after taking lunch, right before I could enter my office. Everyone at the workplace was panic-stricken and I can recall hearing few distinctive screams from my workmates.
What happened after?
Everyone first instinct was to get out of the building as we could clearly hear some rumbling around us. We all met at a fire assembly point just outside our offices and checked to make sure that everyone from the office was okay.
Did you continue working that day?
Everyone was distracted from that moment. All my workmates and I could think about was calling home to check up on our families. The news about the earthquake had also spread around and my parents called from Atlanta to see how we were doing. My boss informed us that we should all go home and check out our families. He said that we should come back to work after the aftershocks had subsided.
Did the earthquake damage your house?
Luckily for me, my house is not very old and as such had been fitted with several anti-quake measures. However, my neighbor was not as lucky and his chimney collapsed as a result of the earthquake.
Have you ever experienced other earthquakes or natural disaster?
No. this was my first earthquake. However, we are used to tornadoes and hurricanes as they are very common in Virginia.
Did you sleep at your house that night?
Although our parents were insistent that we should go stay at their place at night, we were not ready to leave the state because there was a heavy traffic jam out of the city. Some highways had also been cut off by debris resulting from the collapse of some buildings in town. I remember the day clearly as it was difficult to convince my six years old daughter to sleep. She was scared that the tremor would come again. She completely refused to sleep after the first aftershock fearing that the house will fall on her. Eventually, sleep overcame her and we were lucky to catch some sleep.
How was the general population after the earthquake?
There was mass panic everywhere. People were all leaving their homes wanting to put a long distance between themselves and the city. Most of people left the town for a while.
What do you think about earthquake predictions?
They are very important but I am always intrigued by the economic aspect of the predictions. I am not sure what would happen say if scientists predicted that there will be a severe earthquake in a certain area. I think it would make people go nuts.
Would prediction affect your lifestyle?
Well if I have a family I would be highly concerned for their safety and would try to find a safer place for them to be. However, on my own I do not fear earthquakes as I believe that they are part of our lives. They are some things that we have to live with. Maybe, I can take precautionary measures but I do not see myself changing my lifestyle in response to the earthquakes.
Do you know what caused the earthquake?
I am not very much into science but I think that the earthquake must have been caused by big companies which are mining natural gases. Our state is highly mountainous and I have always heard that there is a connection between mountains and earthquakes. However, I can’t really tell. I am no expert.
Did the earthquake alter the town?
Yes. On that day, everything was different. First, we could hardly contact our friends and family as the whole network was down. It was as if the quake had taken away the communications. There were also unscheduled power outages which affected our town for nearly two weeks. People also seemed afraid. It was as if they thought that the quake would return. Some were so stressed that they were hospitalized. It was a tragic experience for those who were in town. Some people lost their homes. The opening of public schools was postponed for few days as most buildings took heavy beating from the quake. Were we not prepared; the quake would have caused massive human loss. Still, the damages were scary.
Do you think of relocating to another area that is less prone to natural disasters?
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