This morning’s 4.8 magnitude earthquake — the third strongest within 50 miles of New York City since 1950 — was a compelling reminder of the power of nature.
For 10 to 15 seconds, from Philadelphia to Boston, the ground shook, floors vibrated, and walls rattled. The epicenter was Whitehouse Station, New Jersey — 106 miles from here.
Westport Police report no damage. But there were plenty of surprised, and a few shaken, residents.
Today’s earthquake, measured by the Westport Astronomical Society. (Courtesy of Franco Fellah)
Most Westporters have not experienced a major earthquake. I was in the 1994 6.7 magnitude Northridge quake that killed 57 people, injured 9,000 and caused $40 billion in damage.
It was the scariest event I’ve ever been through.
I had arrived in Los Angeles the day before, to do some interviews for a book I was writing. I checked into my West Hollywood hotel, had dinner and went to sleep,
At 4:30 a.m. I was awakened by enormous shaking, and deafening noises. My first thought was that a plane had crashed into the building.
Then I realized it was an earthquake.
I remembered something about quakes and doorways. But I couldn’t recall if I was supposed to stand in one, or get far away.
It didn’t matter. My bed shook so violently, I could not get out of it. Meanwhile, shelves in the closet fell onto the floor.
After 20 seconds — which seemed like 20 years — it stopped.
I rushed to the balcony, to see what was going on. Foolishly, I did not realize the balcony might not be there.
Fortunately, it was.
I looked around. A man stood on the balcony next to mine.
“Holy shit!” he said. “I’ve lived in California all my life. That was the worst earthquake ever.”
It was — right up there with the “World Series” Loma Prieta Bay Area earthquake of 1989.
And the epicenter was 15 miles from me. Smoke rose in the distance.
Then I heard the noises. Every home and car alarm in the area was ringing. So were the sirens of every police, fire and emergency vehicle.
One view of the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake …
I never did those interviews. I spent the next couple of days in a state of tension. Aftershocks came randomly.
Walking down the street, the rumbling would begin. I’d lock eyes with strangers; we’d wonder, silently: Is this another big one?
Then it would end.
Ten seconds later, a pane of glass might land at my feet.
The New York Times notes that the Northridge quake was “more than 700 times as strong as the temblor in New York on Friday.”
… and 2 others.
Aftershocks may continue here in Westport, experts say. There is a 3% chance that one will be “large.”
Earthquakes are unlike any other natural disaster.
In every other one — hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes — there are warnings, or at least time to prepare.
An earthquake happens suddenly. There is no warning. And there is little anyone can do, until it ends.
At 10:23 this morning, Westporters learned what people in California — and Turkey, Japan and many other places — have long known.
Nature is far more powerful than man.
Interesting that we did not feel anything at Sherwood Island.
My wife was sitting on a chair watching TV and the chair started rocking. We’re 43 miles north of the Virginia border.
An interesting fact: Homeowners insurance does not cover earthquake damage.
But you can buy earthquake insurance.
I was at my framing table at Rockwell in Westport and the building shook and the frames on the walls started to clatter. I thought it was a large truck going by, a part of the roof falling. I went up front and the woman right next to me at New England Lumber was shaken. We couldn’t figure out what it was, until we found out right away. The only other time I heard and felt something like this was before Calico went in on the corner and the space was gutted and the air pressure blew out the front windows all the way to the double-yellow lines on the Post Road.
Dan, beautifully written!
So sorry you had that terrible experience. But a good example of a terrible thing making you stronger and wiser, as long as it didn’t kill you. Oy Vey!
Larry and Ruth
Living in San Francisco through the Eighties, I got to experience a number of quakes, though only one was bad enough to stand up in the doorway and hang on for half a minute. We all learned to have a ‘ditch bag’ close at hand. We also learned to appreciate that we really aren’t in total control of our destinies. Humbly leveling in more ways than one…
Having read this, I’m amazed you were right back out in SoCal six months later for the World Cup semis at the Rose Bowl where we saw Brazil beat Sweden.
My experience with today’s event was probably more surreal than that of most people. I was on the phone with a nephew who lives in western NJ when he said to the effect of “What the hell is that—an earthquake?” I heard commotion in the background from another family member. Very shortly thereafter—within ten seconds or so I believe—I felt the floor of our condo shaking in a way I never even experienced in SoCal in all the time we spent out there. So that’s how I knew it was an earthquake and not some other cause.
And so it goes: I ended up experiencing my first earthquake in CT, not CA; and by far the worst wildfire smoke my wife and I experienced was last summer’s event here in CT tied into the fires from Canada. Go figure.
Intense memory, Dan.
I was in L.A. during a very small one, years ago. Barely felt a thing. I was in my office in Guilford when there was the small quake here… close to fifteen years ago? The person next to me said “earthquake!” and I said “nah, just the building AC.”
There was no mistaking this one where from I sat this morning. For the first split second I thought it related to construction work in the neighborhood, but that was followed by three or four seconds of feeling and sounding like a jet was just barely clearing the house.
Absolutely no damage – but that will wake you up in a hurry.
YUP!!
Just a reminder!! Often given when needed!!
WE ARE ALL INDIGENOUS TO THIS PLANET!!
We are all little peas in a small pod!!
Dirtying the nest is a forerunner to extinction in the case of the Mountain Gorillas, according to biologists!!
Diane Fossey reminded us that they ARE OUR NEIGHBORS AND WE HAVE BEEN TRAMPLING THEIR BACK YARD TO THE POINT OF THEIR EXTINCTION!!
Let’s remember HOW CONNECTED all of our neighborhoods ARE!!
I lived just a mile from where you were staying in N. Hollywood that day and had the same terrifying early morning experience, thrown out of bed while listening to the crashing of framed paintings, dishes, books and jars of food all fall from the walls. 27 years in LA and I NEVER got used to it. We all lived with hard hats and walking shoes in our cars….just in case. Luckily, we didn’t feel it today.
I was living in Los Angeles (Sherman Oaks) when the Northridge earthquake struck. We were smack dab (geologically speaking) between Northridge and Santa Monica, which was also quite hard hit. But the amplification of both quakes seemed to be right under our home at the time. Neighbors had their foundations broken. Multi-family homes (typically apartment buildings) “pancaked.” Driving to work was like driving through a war zone. Luckily, we escaped with a water heater that broke loose from its pipes, a free-standing stereo loudspeaker fell through a plate glass window, some cinder block fences on our property lines cracked and had to be reinforced, and our swimming pool sloshed out about 18″ of water. We were some of the lucky ones.
I have a friend in Cornish Maine who felt the earthquake!
I too was in LA for the Northridge quake and still remember the subway like rumble of the quake and afterquake car alarm jamboree. The only happy soul was my cat who enjoyed the opportunity to gorge on the bag of cat food that fell down and broke open. Later that day I was called in to the VA hospital to do emergency eye surgery and my wife declined to stay home alone and spent a few hours in the VA waiting room
I was in that Northridge earthquake as well, Dan (I lived in L.A. at the time.) And even for me, who had weathered dozens of smaller quakes about the size of today’s quake here, it was absolutely terrifying. That was the longest 20 seconds of my life.
I’m wondering, though, about that NYT statement that Northridge was 700 times stronger than our earthquake today.
A 5.7 is 10x more powerful than a 4.7 quake, and a 6.7 is 100x more powerful. Not 700x.
That’s a poignant memory, Dan, and must have been terrifying.
I was in bed and assumed it was another one of those ‘mother of all trucks’ lumbering down this narrow street due to the never-ending sewer main installation (which began exactly one year ago yesterday). These megatrucks shake everything and drivers even sit in the idling trucks for up to a half hour at a time. I’m constantly straightening pictures on the walls from this big dig.
The earthquake here that I do recall feeling was in 1983 or 1984. My Black Lab jumped off the bed at about 4am and curled up in a ball, whimpering. I went to see what was wrong with her and then a few minutes later felt the earthquake, which was like a freight train rumbling through the front yard. My dog knew it before I felt it, but then again, dogs seem to know everything before we do. Today, my 6-month old puppy just barked her head off for a few minutes. She’s a fearless terrier, yet her ‘danger’ instict kicked in immediately.
I was also in Hollywood for the Northridge quake. It felt like The Jolly Green Giant was outside my building whacking it with a giant size bat. My twins were 5 months old and the shaking was so strong I couldn’t get into their room. As soon as it was over and all of us were seen to be fine, I phoned my mother in NYC to say we were okay, but had just been in THE BIG ONE. Over the next few days we learned from news reports that the Big One would be far worse, I forget the statistics, but they were enormous. I also learned that if your kids were in school when the Big One came you could be separated for weeks.
Not too long after hearing this I made the decision to raise the twins in Westport. Earthquakes ain’t for sissies!
And another one!? We had things in our kitchen rattle a little with this new one.
I too lived through the Northridge earthquake – in Reseda, the town over. Beautifully captured and thank you for writing it.
I felt today’s “first one” just around 10:25-ish, in Southbury CT. Even though it was “subtle”, I immediately understood it was a low level quake. Things clinked & rattled a bit in the house, and the ground had that low roar vibration similar to heavy duty construction trucks or jackhammering.
We lived at the east end of Simi Valley when the Northridge earthquake hit. Having grown up in So Cal we both had grown up with earthquakes but the Northridge quake changed our mindset about earthquakes. My husband had a structural engineering firm in Burbank at the time and I truly now appreciate the concept of designing structures that that allow people time to get out in these situations.
Great recollecton, Dan. We always remember: MOTHER NATURE BATS LAST!!