Dateline: Tehuacán, Puebla (still)
At approximately 4:55AM this morning, I felt Edgar grab my arm. Still mostly within Morpheus’ grasp, I wondered what was happening. As I swiftly gained consciousness, I heard creaks and groans and felt the room start to tremble. It was a fairly soft shaking motion. “Sismo!” I heard him say. The shaking continued and started to get stronger. Edgar tried to tell me something else, but I said, “Shhhh,” hoping to be able to hear whether anything was falling or breaking. The building continued to creak, and then it started to shake harder. We clung tightly to each other, not knowing what to expect next. The sensation was a kind of smooth, rolling sensation, not unlike being on the back of a horse at full gallop, only not so regular. The shaking intensified, and immediately the inevitable fear began to grip us.
“What if this is the ‘Big One?'” Every native Californian, every Mexican, everyone who has grown up with quakes knows what you mean by the Big One. It’s a quake that shakes and shakes and shakes. It doesn’t stop in 20 or 30 seconds. It keeps going and it gets stronger and stronger. It’s the quake where you do start to hear things breaking and falling and being ground to dust. It’s the quake that finally drops California into the ocean to join its sister continent, Atlantis. It’s the quake that stops the internet, stops the tweets, stops the power, stops the water. It’s the quake that ends civilization as we know it, and that returns us to a more primitive state. It’s the quake that all of us from earthquake country fear the most.
And yet knowing that the “Big One” is right around the corner, we somehow manage to continue to live our lives. Even in some places where the “Big One,” is due, a near certainty, people give it no thought most of the time. Take the case of the Hayward Fault, which runs up the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay. That fault last created a “Big One” in 1868. Geologists estimate it registered between 6.8 and 7.0 on the Richter Scale. That’s a Big One, especially if you’re right on top of it or within a few dozen miles. The Richter Scale is logarithmic, which is to say that each number higher represents a force ten times greater. So a seven is ten times stronger than a six. And that Hayward Quake destroyed most of what was there at the time, which wasn’t much. Prior to the Great Quake of 1906 in San Francisco, which was caused by the San Andreas Fault, the Hayward Quake was the Big One that everyone remembered. The fault slipped something like 12 inches. You can Google pictures showing buildings with half of the building twelve inches farther north than the other half. But in 1868, there were few people in that region, few buildings, and the quake has since been mostly forgotten.
Yet scientists have learned that the Hayward Fault slips like clockwork every 140 years or so. On a geologic time scale, it’s about as regular as the geyser “Old Faithful” in Yellowstone. And it’s overdue. Overdue by about six years, an instant in geologic time. But on any given day, is anyone worried about it? Nope. They’re late for work. They need to get to the dry cleaner before it closes. Kids have got to be gotten off to school. But ask anyone, and they know that disaster lurks. They know that particular sword of Damocles is hanging over their heads. But there is literally nothing to do on any given day. Sure, you can lash down your water heater, bolt your house to your foundation, don’t hang anything heavy (like big art) over your bed. But that’s it. Otherwise you are at the mercy of the gods and you just have to live your life knowing that some day it will all change for the worse.
For us, and for Mexico, we were fortunate this morning. After about 30 seconds of moderate shaking, and then a few more tremors, the earth resumed its slumber. According to the news, the quake was a 5.8, forceful, but not devastating. The epicenter was 26 KM north of Matías Romero in Oaxaca, a rural, lightly-populated spot about 300 miles south of us in Tehuacán. According to the news, there was little to no damage anywhere.
But it was a warning that we can’t take the day for granted. Some day the Big One will come, and it will change everything. And so these little quakes serve as a reminder to us to not take the days for granted. We have to live life to the fullest every day, for some day disaster will strike. And so I count my blessings for yet one more wonderful day in Mexico, waking in the arms of my new love, thankful to be breathing the fresh mountain air, and thankful to be on this amazing journey.
Dan Green said:
Kim, I’ve been unlucky enough to be in every major quake in the LA area, the SF Valley, and San Fran between 1960 and loma prieta (Milpitas) in ’89. I then got smart, and moved to So. Florida in ’90, and got wacked by Andrew! Moved north to get out of the target zone and endured Fran, Bertha, and a couple of local tornadoes in NC. I don’t believe there is Anywhere Moma Natures bad moods can’t spoil your day in one way or another! Enjoy the moment you’re in, cuz worrying never fixed nuttin!
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Kim G said:
Dan! That’s the most amazing run of bad luck I can imagine. Jeeze! I really will try even harder to enjoy the day now. Thanks for stopping by and Saludos!
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Andean said:
My first moderate quake was felt in Melaque a few years ago. Since I had not experienced anything like this I didn’t know what was going on but remember hearing a small rumble at first, (ah, firecrackers I thought) as I was getting ready to shower. I decided to respond to an email I had just received first. The door in my bedroom started to rattle (thought it was the huge dog who frequently did that to get me out of my room, to take him for a walk) then, the fan above my bed started to swing and I heard my sister calling out… I ran out to see what was going on. It was very hard to walk straight through the house and I could hear glassware rattling. I finally made it outside, and only then realized what it was. I had taken my IPad, a blogger (we know) wrote he had just felt an earthquake. A bunch of us stood quietly in the clearing, watching the pool violently swishing water in and out, listening to the loud rumbling get louder and feeling the ground move… scary stuff…
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Kim G said:
Andean: I’ve never tried to walk during a quake. It must be quite tricky. Often when they begin, I start to feel dizzy since I don’t expect the earth to be moving. Once I realize what’s happening, I stop feeling dizzy, but that initial move is always a kind of “oh my god, I’m getting sick” kind of feeling. Thanks for the wonderful comment and saludos!
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Kim G said:
Andean: I’ve never tried to walk during a quake. It must be quite tricky. Often when they begin, I start to feel dizzy since I don’t expect the earth to be moving. Once I realize what’s happening, I stop feeling dizzy, but that initial move is always a kind of “oh my god, I’m getting sick” kind of feeling. Thanks for the wonderful comment and saludos!
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John Calypso said:
Yup – we felt that quake here in Xico – I clocked it at 5:05 Mexico time. Just a little rumbler here and yes let it settle on those minor adjustments PLEASE!
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Kim G said:
John: it’s a little unsettling to be roused by a quake, no? Let’s hope that’s it. Edgar has premonitions of more, but I’m hoping he’s wrong. Saludos!
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Florentino Gutierrez said:
Wow I didn’t hear anything about this one today, but I know that for the past few weeks earthquakes have been more and more frequent in Mexico City. I’ve been wondering too when the Big One will strike. Yours is a very good reflection. Carpe diem.
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Don Cuevas said:
It’s been my understanding that the small quakes are good to relieve the pent up forces and thus may make a big one less likely.
Saludos,
Don Cuevas
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Kim G said:
Don Cuevas: I think you’re basically right, though relief of stress in one part of a fault could lead to increased stress in another part or on a different fault. At the end of the day, the big one is going to hit some of us one day in the future. So I’m trying to make the most of today. Saludos and thanks for stopping by.
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Kim G said:
Hola Tino! In DF (and elsewhere) there seem to have been more quakes lately. This is the second one for us in Tehuacán in 2 weeks, though they came from opposite directions. People do seem a bit nervous. I need to remember carpe diem more myself. Thanks for stopping by and Saludos y Abrazos!
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babsofsanmiguel said:
I didn’t know anything about it until I just read your blog…….Sheesh……..take care!
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Kim G said:
Barbara: Given the fact that the epicenter was south even of Oaxaca, OAX, it’d be EXTREMELY unlikely to affect you. In fact I think it was barely felt in DF. Saludos!
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willc88 said:
I think there’s definitely a growing sense that there’s a ‘big one’ on its way here in DF. In my time here I’ve never felt them so frequently, its getting a bit ridiculous recently.
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Kim G said:
I’ve felt two since I’ve been here in Tehuacán, the first one from Guerrero on the 8th, and now today’s. One of my friends in Boston believes that CERN created a small black hole which is now consuming the earth from inside, and that’s why there are so many quakes in the last few years. I don’t believe this myself, but he’s not the only one. Just Google “CERN black hole,” and you’ll see lots of results. Let’s just hope the Big One hits on a quiet Sunday or something. Saludos!
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William said:
Deja vu. I’ve experienced quakes three times now while visiting Alejandro in D.F. Did you feel the one on Good Friday of last month? (I can’t remember now if you were still in Puebla or if you had already hit the road for the Yucatan.) That one was a 7.2, and was the first time that we actually left the apartment and went out to the street.
Glad you are both OK, and that it was just a minor shake. But it’s certainly a wake up call that early in the morning!
So when are you leaving Tehuacan and heading home?
Saludos y abrazos,
Bill
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Kim G said:
Hola Bill! On Good Friday, I was in Mérida with Joanna and Jorge, though I heard about the quake. Here in Tehuacán, this is the second quake of moderate intensity we’ve felt. The last one on the 8th had its epicenter in Guerrero, and knocked down a bridge and some walls. As for going out in the street, that’s the exact opposite of the protocol that we were taught in California, where you’re supposed to shelter under a table, desk, or in a doorway. Having been brought up that way, I’m most inclined to stay put during the quake. That said, it’s an entirely different matter spending a quake in a masonry building in Mexico vs a wood or steel building in California. And as much as I love older buildings, I have to say that I’d think very hard before buying one in Mexico, which is very prone to quakes everywhere except Yucatán. As for my departure date, it’s in all likelihood tomorrow. Sigh… Saludos and thanks for your comment.
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William said:
Yes, in fact the owner of the apartment told us that the safest place to be is in the doorway of the apartment. But I suspect that for those who went through the big one of ’85, and who have memories of the countless people crushed in collapsed buildings, the instinct is to get the heck out.
Saludos, and safe journey north.
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Kim G said:
Bill: our instinct don’t always lead us in the right direction. That said, I do debate the correct course of action in a quake. I think I’d try to make some quick calculation of the age of the building I was in, strength of hiding places (sturdy workbench vs flimsy end table) and what might be likely to fall outside combined with speed of escape. But of course all that’s hard to do in 30 seconds or less. Saludos y Abrazos.
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Felipe Zapata said:
Eddy? So now you’ve given his made-up moniker a nickname? I suggest you just use his real first name. There will be 100,000 like it (probably) in Mexico.
As for the quake, I felt nothing. Glad you survived. Must be because of the hugs. Hugs always keep a concrete roof from falling on you. It’s been proven.
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Kim G said:
Hola Felipe! Eddy is a nickname for Edgar, which is not his real name. It’s hard to use something so formal as “Edgar” at 4:55 AM when you think a roof might fall on you. And I think you’re right about the hugs. So far they’ve worked like a charm. Saludos!
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