Earthquake !

@topffer (42156)
France
April 28, 2016 9:17am CST
The Gallic were fearing only one thing, that the sky would fall on their head. It happened this morning to a car parked in my street. At about 9 am the wood floors cracked in my house during a few seconds. It was an earthquake. I am in an area with a near zero earthquake risk so I was very surprised. I turned the radio on. This one was a honorable level 5 earthquake with a center at about 60 miles from my home. Many houses in my neighborhood have large gardens or parks. The house near mine has a large park, but it is rented for office use and the park is a wild space not maintained anymore. When the earthquake happened a part of the wall of the park felt in the street, damaging seriously a car. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but in the following minutes the street was full of firemen and policemen. I waited a few hours to take a photo. Did something unusual happened to you today ?
23 people like this
25 responses
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
28 Apr 16
How fortunate that no-one was walking by at the time. A car can be replaced, but not a human.
5 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Apr 16
Yes, there is an elementary school up the street. One hour before these stones should have hurt children. The car and the stones are now removed, but the safety fences are still there, because the wall is probably dangerous and might continue to fall.
6 people like this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
28 Apr 16
@topffer That really was lucky that there were no children about.
4 people like this
@LadyDuck (458179)
• Switzerland
28 Apr 16
@topffer One stone from a balcony fell during a quake in Monaco while I was in the street. The back of my left shoe get some scratches... my Guardian Angel did a great job.
5 people like this
@LadyDuck (458179)
• Switzerland
28 Apr 16
Now I am scared, this is also a zero earthquake risk area. I remember we had several in Monaco during the years I lived there. There are tall building there, I remember one that was pretty scary, I fell off the chair, I was scared. Are you safe? I hope you had no major damages.
3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Apr 16
It was a big surprise. I never remember to have had an earthquake since I have moved here, and there are no specific building rules to follow against earthquakes in this city. I suppose it was the earthquake of the century. My house has apparently no damage and my car was in the garage, so everything is ok.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (458179)
• Switzerland
29 Apr 16
@topffer I am glad that everything is ok. I fear the earthquakes, so I hope that this is not a new trend.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Apr 16
@LadyDuck I wish that the next one will be next century...
2 people like this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
2 May 16
I just got up, so, not much has happened. I'm glad the earthquake didn't cause much more serious damage.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
2 May 16
A few tiles felt and a few old walls fissured, but it did not made any victim. It is a good thing. Living in a supposed zero risk area, buildings are not made to face important earthquakes, and this one was quite important.
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
2 May 16
@topffer It seems that there is no such think as zero-risk?
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
2 May 16
@1hopefulman Sadly true when it comes to natural disasters. I remember that we had a kind of tornado in 1999, and this country is also supposed to have 0 tornadoes. I hope that the next earthquake in my area will happen next century.
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (98830)
• India
1 May 16
Nothing ..that bad...got up with bad stomach ache...nothing other than that. Sorry...and I was thinking I was safe...coz our home is also supposed to be at zero earthquake levels...
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (98830)
• India
1 May 16
@topffer ...How far interior are you from sea?
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
1 May 16
@vandana7 About 100 km. But as my house is at 90 m, I do not risk anything from a tsunami.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
1 May 16
As @thesids wrote, there are probably no place completely safe... I hope that the next earthquake in my city will be next century... or it should also give me stomach aches.
2 people like this
@much2say (53958)
• Los Angeles, California
10 May 16
This reminds me of the '94 Northridge earthquake. My car was parked inside my parent's garage. My dad had a lot of stuff up in the garage rafters - a lot of our childhood history was up there I guess. So when we were finally able to get inside the garage, I saw that my sister's old desk (with an attached chair) had fallen off and landed on my front windshield . Yep, it shattered the windshield all right. I live in the heart of earthquakes. In your photo, good thing no one was standing right there when that happened!
1 person likes this
@much2say (53958)
• Los Angeles, California
12 May 16
@topffer It may have been more original, but the damage was done all the same! I have lived here all my life . . . it gets to the point where you only jump with "big" earthquakes. But level 5 for a place that ordinarily does not get earthquakes, that's quite huge. Oh, I'm glad the children were ok. Our 94 earthquake happened around 4 in the morning . . . it would have been really bad if it happened when everyone was awake and out and about!!
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
12 May 16
@much2say I even did not jumped, because I did not realized that it was an earthquake. You were lucky that it happened at 4 am. But you would have been more lucky if it had happened at 8 or 9, when your car was out of the garage.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
10 May 16
A desk on the windshield is certainly more original and would have done a better photo than a stone. I have quite no experience in earthquakes : it was only my second level 5 earthquake, and the first in this area. There is an elementary school at the top of the street, and an hour earlier the street was full of children... I read that many tiles felt, but fortunately nobody has been hurt.
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
28 Apr 16
Nothing really unusual about this day. It was pretty normal.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Apr 16
@OneOfMany Or you have really a deep sleep. It lasted only a few seconds, and I realized after that it was an earthquake. It was the second in my life, and the last one I hope.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Apr 16
I would not like to have an earthquake often, but this one added a bit of salt to my life.
2 people like this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
28 Apr 16
@topffer I have supposedly been through several, but I never notice them. I slept through one that woke others out of sound sleep. I worked through another that made people stop everything. Either I'm rampantly oblivious or I'm so natural with the world that a slight shake doesn't bother me.
2 people like this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
2 May 16
I am glad to hear you are safe but how awful to have an earthquake that close to you. Glad to hear no one was hurt. Nothing unusual has happened here that I have heard of.
1 person likes this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
2 May 16
@topffer Then it must have surprised people to know a earthquake had hit their area.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
2 May 16
"No news, good news". As a few tiles felt, it should have hurt people, but gladly it did not happened. Earthquakes are very rare in my area.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
2 May 16
@Marcyaz I was the first to be surprised. It lasted only a few seconds, and I realized that it was an earthquake when it had already ended. I was more afraid when I heard the sirens of the firemen and the police near my home, and realized that a part of my neighbor's wall had felt down. Happily my house and garage had no damage.
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
29 Apr 16
When you have not experienced one it is really something. I've only experienced one not that large and if I never do again I'll be fine with it. Scary stuff.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Apr 16
It was the second one for me, but I was a teen when I experienced the first one, and I had completely forgotten what it was. It does not lasted long enough to be scared. I was more scared a bit later when I heard the sirens of the firemen and realized that a wall had fallen near my house.
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
29 Apr 16
@topffer My experience was longer than a few seconds. More like 30- 45 seconds but I guess it depends on a bunch of things like how close you are to the event. I felt strange with the deadly silence immediately after the event.
1 person likes this
• United States
28 Apr 16
oh my! i'm so glad that nobody was seriously injured with that quake. there's always a danger'f gas lines 'n the like that jest makes one cringe. so glad those folks responded so quickly. stay safe's ya can, hon. the world, she's a changin'!
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Apr 16
It is not impossible that some problems happened with gas lines. I am reading online in a newspaper that many tiles have fallen and some walls are fissured, but that nobody was hurt. I believe it was the earthquake of the century, as we never have earthquakes in my area, and this one was quite important.
1 person likes this
• United States
28 Apr 16
@topffer i'll keep ya'll'n my thoughts, hon.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40440)
• United States
28 Apr 16
that is scary. What country are you in?
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Apr 16
The country is near my user name : I live in France.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Apr 16
@akalinus It depends of the area. Mine was supposed to be safe... until today.
@akalinus (40440)
• United States
28 Apr 16
@topffer I saw that after I posted. I did not know France had earthquakes.
1 person likes this
@shshiju (10342)
• Cochin, India
29 Apr 16
We had also some minor one before two three years. I am not sure that this zone is zero earthquake area.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Apr 16
This one was large enough to do some minor damages. I am not sure that any area is really safe.
1 person likes this
@shshiju (10342)
• Cochin, India
29 Apr 16
@topffer That is correct.
@JudyEv (325809)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 16
That would have been very unexpected if it doesn't happen often - or at all.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
30 Apr 16
@JudyEv I only hope that the next one will be for next century.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Apr 16
It lasted only a few seconds, and I needed a few seconds more to realize that it was an earthquake. I never heard of an earthquake in the area where I live... until yesterday.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325809)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Apr 16
@topffer And I guess now that there has been one you will think of it occasionally.
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66857)
• Philippines
2 May 16
it is good nobody was there.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
2 May 16
@ridingbet Yup, natural disasters might do a lot of victims. We have no typhoons in this area, but more and more strong storms, due to global warming.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
2 May 16
A few tiles also felt down, and happily nobody was hurt during this earthquake.
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66857)
• Philippines
2 May 16
@topffer it is worse if we are stricken with quakes, deadlier with typhoons even
1 person likes this
@Dishari (687)
29 Apr 16
Not today, but I have felt a lot of earthquakes before.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Apr 16
It was only the second one for me, and I was a teen when I felt the first one.
1 person likes this
@Dishari (687)
29 Apr 16
@topffer Oh! But as long as you aren't a resident of a high earthquake prone zone, you don't need to worry. They just are scary, that's all.
1 person likes this
@quantum2020 (12040)
• Ciudad De Mexico, Mexico
28 Apr 16
I came across two zombies, which were not real zombies, but were two homeless and drunk men; however, from the distance they look like zombies. Hope everything comes to normal in your city.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Apr 16
I have never seen a zombie, but I also never had an earthquake in this city, so zombies are perhaps for tomorrow.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
3 May 16
Sriously, I could never prepare for something like that, wished it would end for me quickly if a big one comes around.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
3 May 16
I would always prefer to survive than to die. This earthquake did not made important damages but was quite important in an area where we do not know what is an earthquake.
@Hate2Iron (15730)
• Canada
31 May 16
It was a very quiet day here... where you live... it must have been very frightening!
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
31 May 16
Earthquakes are so rare in my area that I did not realized that it was an earthquake. It was frightening afterwards when I heard the sirens of the firemen and the police and saw that the wall of my neighbor had fallen.
@valmnz (17099)
• New Zealand
10 May 16
That would have been scary if you're not used to earthquakes. We have a lot of them here.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
10 May 16
I did not realized that it was an earthquake when it happened. It was scary when I heard the siren of the firemen and saw that my neighbor's wall was down.
1 person likes this
@acelawrites (19273)
• Philippines
29 Apr 16
Good thing nobody was hurt. We are quite jittery when hearing of news about earthquakes due to the warning by seismologists that an earthquake fault in Metro Manila is already "ripe" and when it moved, there will be massive destruction of lives and property.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Apr 16
I hope that nothing bad will happen in Manila. The only damages are material here : a few tiles down, a few fissured walls. The wall down near my home was probably the more important, and it is not a drama.
@rina110383 (24495)
28 Apr 16
Nothing unusual happened today. Still work but I'm happy because it keeps me busy.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Apr 16
Nice, I would not like to face a natural disaster everyday.
1 person likes this