ASL class last night was certainly interesting. Right in the middle of learning how to express major life decisions, the earth moved. We could hear it before we felt it. The students had a few seconds to reconcile the sound of vibrating windows before the shaking started. Once Mr. G felt the movement (he can't hear the windows or the shaking furniture) he was under the desk in a flash. For those of you who do not know the campus, we are in the Fremont hills. The building is older than I am, with one ancient elevator. My classroom is on the 4th floor, the top floor.
The movement felt like a shaking first, followed by a rolling motion. It seemed to last a very long time. I have lived in this area all of my life, and I can say this is the second largest quake I can remember. Thankfully nobody was hurt and I don't think there was any damage.
Mr. G dismissed class so we could get out of the building, in case of any significant after-shocks. Once we were outside, I tried to call family to report that I was fine. My cell phone kept giving me "network busy" errors. Once I got home, the news reports continued to highlight that many people did not have cell phone availability. I was able to make a call on a friend's Verizon phone, since my Sprint phone was out of commission.
Today my wife, who is from the Midwest, is freaking out about the possibility of another large quake on the Hayward fault. I think she is on her way to the emergency supply store as I type. I suppose it is good to be prepared since living in California means there will be more quakes. Nobody knows when, but they will happen.
I continue to be amazed by the power of Mother Nature.
