# Did we just have an earthquake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 23, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803 "2011-08-23T17:55:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/81 "2011-08-23T18:49:18Z")
The floor of my building vibrates anyway. A couple of us thought that was all it was. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/82 "2011-08-23T18:51:26Z")
šŸ˜ƒšŸ˜ƒšŸ˜ƒ Watching the live coverage. All these earthquake n00bies are hilarious. Peeing their pants. I wouldnā€™t even put my book down in California for a minor event like this. Iā€™ve had some bad scares before. Especially when glass starts falling from the tall buildings. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/83 "2011-08-23T18:51:36Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Iā€™m probably 60 miles from the epicenter-anybody closer? Not by muchā€¦ mapquest tells me about 56 miles. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/84 "2011-08-23T18:51:38Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > The floor of my building vibrates anyway. A couple of us thought that was all it was. One of my old workplaces was like that. Never did figure out if it was truck traffic on US 1 or the HVAC on the roof (we had the top floor). ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/85 "2011-08-23T18:53:18Z")
In DC it was a serious shaking. Near the epicenter, Lake Anna nuclear plant tripped emergency shut downs for both reactors. They are reporting an unusual event. 5 other nuclear plants are also shut down due to the quake. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/86 "2011-08-23T18:53:25Z")
This was nothing (in NYC). I wouldnā€™t be surprised if West Coasters are laughing at the over-reaction by so many NYCers. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/87 "2011-08-23T18:53:29Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > We felt it in Manhattan, too. It wasnā€™t that different from what you feel when a subway train passes right underneath you. Only without the noise. South shore of Long Island, here. I was lying down when the bed started gently rocking back and forth. I thought one of the cats was on the bed scratching herself until I heard a _click-clicking_ noise and saw the drawer pulls on the dresser (little rings that swing freely) swaying in unison. I thought the people downstairs (Iā€™m on the second floor) were moving furniture, but theyā€™re not home. A few minutes later I heard the news reports. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/88 "2011-08-23T18:54:06Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > šŸ˜ƒšŸ˜ƒšŸ˜ƒ > > Watching the live coverage. All these earthquake n00bies are hilarious. Peeing their pants. > > I wouldnā€™t even put my book down in California for a minor event like this. I know itā€™s physically impossible for people not to make posts like this, but it still irks me every time. ā€œHar har, people who have never experienced a particular natural event in their lives are reacting with surprise and astonishment even though people in a different area where these events are more common would not have been surprised or astonished.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/89 "2011-08-23T18:54:34Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > šŸ˜ƒšŸ˜ƒšŸ˜ƒ > > Watching the live coverage. All these earthquake n00bies are hilarious. Peeing their pants. > > I wouldnā€™t even put my book down in California for a minor event like this. Iā€™ve had some bad scares before. Especially when glass starts falling from the tall buildings. You need to realize that we donā€™t have buildings designed for this type of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/90 "2011-08-23T18:56:05Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > šŸ˜ƒšŸ˜ƒšŸ˜ƒ > > Watching the live coverage. All these earthquake n00bies are hilarious. Peeing their pants. > > I wouldnā€™t even put my book down in California for a minor event like this. Iā€™ve had some bad scares before. Especially when glass starts falling from the tall buildings. Youā€™re my hero. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/91 "2011-08-23T18:56:11Z")
It was felt here in Barrie, Ontario, Canada and I missed it AGAIN!! I got back to work after lunch and my Facebook feed was blowing up with ā€œEarthquake?!ā€ posts and I was all, damnit not again! What the hell is with me missing earthquakes?! We had one here about a year ago. People who were sitting down in the office felt it, but I was walking and didnā€™t. The water in my Bettaā€™s fish bowl was moving and I was so jealous that my Office Fishy felt the quake and not me. Hopefully yā€™all are okay down south thereā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/92 "2011-08-23T18:56:13Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > šŸ˜ƒšŸ˜ƒšŸ˜ƒ > > Watching the live coverage. All these earthquake n00bies are hilarious. Peeing their pants. > > I wouldnā€™t even put my book down in California for a minor event like this. Iā€™ve had some bad scares before. Especially when glass starts falling from the tall buildings. Just as I predicted. But you are right. Buncha chicken littles here in NY. Those closer to the epicenter I can understand having a bigger reaction. But this was two seconds of nothing in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/93 "2011-08-23T18:56:37Z")
[For your listening enjoyment](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC-2_jqFZdA). (Or not, as the case may be.) ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/94 "2011-08-23T18:57:03Z")
I did not feel it here on the New Madrid Fault (~600 miles), and I usually feel the smaller quakes that happen here (when others do not). The 4.6 one in Southern Illinois a few years ago shook me out of bed at 4:30 am. and that was 150 miles away. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/95 "2011-08-23T19:00:16Z")
That was pretty weird. I work on the 9th floor, and I felt the building shaking. I wish Iā€™d been outside though, to feel the actual ground shaking. Iā€™m in Queens, NY. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/96 "2011-08-23T19:00:51Z")
Guilty. I made it through Northridge in 94. That was the one that made me find another state to live in. I was in that area from 88-95. > [@D\_Odds](#): > > This was nothing (in NYC). I wouldnā€™t be surprised if West Coasters are laughing at the over-reaction by so many NYCers. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/97 "2011-08-23T19:02:08Z")
Felt it in Boston. At first I thought it was mild vertigo (I get that on occasion), but then I noticed the hanger on my door swinging back and forth. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/98 "2011-08-23T19:02:17Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I know itā€™s physically impossible for people not to make posts like this, but it still irks me every time. ā€œHar har, people who have never experienced a particular natural event in their lives are reacting with surprise and astonishment even though people in a different area where these events are more common would not have been surprised or astonished.ā€ But we have had them before. Very rare, but it has happened. I donā€™t know how bad it was in Virginia and DC, but in NYC **Marley** described it correctly. Our buildings are designed to handle hurricanes - the level of shaking here was miniscule. Itā€™s an over-reaction by many (certainly not all). ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/99 "2011-08-23T19:03:13Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > But we have had them before. Very rare, but it has happened. I donā€™t know how bad it was in Virginia and DC, but in NYC **Marley** described it correctly. Our buildings are designed to handle hurricanes - the level of shaking here was miniscule. Itā€™s an over-reaction by many (certainly not all). Fine, a bit of hyperbole on my part. You may amend my statement to read: ā€œpeople who have very rarely experienced a particular natural event.ā€ The rest stands. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/100 "2011-08-23T19:05:41Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Fine, a bit of hyperbole on my part. You may amend my statement to read: ā€œpeople who have very rarely experienced a particular natural event.ā€ The rest stands. Iā€™m with you. While I agree hysterical people should learn to calm down (if only for their own sakes!) fact is thatā€™s what humans do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803.md?page=6)