# 'Hm. Better call somebody. It felt like an earthquake.' **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 3, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168 "2005-02-03T14:21:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [February 3, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/1 "2005-02-03T14:21:15Z")
Apparently there was a 2.9 quake under Whidbey Island this morning. I didn’t feel it up here, 80 miles away. After all, it was only a 2.9. But people are actually calling the local news about it. One guy on Camano Island said, ‘Hm. Better call somebody. It felt like an earthquake.’ Why? Anyone who felt it would already know, and people who didn’t wouldn’t care. Now, I could understand a little more coverage if it were a 4.0 or higher; but a 2.9 just doesn’t rate any more than a passing comment. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/2 "2005-02-03T15:18:48Z")
A 2.9? Even if you’re right on top of one of those, you don’t feel much. It’s not worth calling the news about! ---
**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:** [February 3, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/3 "2005-02-03T15:23:37Z")
The guy I quoted said a mirror fell off the wall. He also said he was 'worried about [his] chalet-style roof, which was built in the ‘70s. [He] thought about running outside.’ Not sure what he meant about the roof, nor why he thought it was important to mention. I’m guessing a chalet-style roof is steeply pitched, and he thought shingles may fall off of it? ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/4 "2005-02-03T15:45:43Z")
Back in the 80’s, I felt a 2.9 earthquake in Arroyo Grande, CA (about 3 am in the morning). It was really strange–it felt like a house was sitting on a violin string which was increasing in pitch. It only lasted 5-6 seconds. I saw the magnitude and location in the newspaper a couple days later. From what I could figure, the quake’s epicenter was about 100-150 meters from our house. How deep it was, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/5 "2005-02-03T15:46:41Z")
I noticed this morning on Q13 Fox news, they were saying “There was an earthquake in Puget Sound this morning… did ya feel it?” Nope, not here. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/6 "2005-02-03T18:08:37Z")
I remember having one of those in (or near by, I can’t remember which) Toronto a long while ago. I never felt a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/7 "2005-02-03T18:22:14Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > It felt like an earthquake! That’s what she said! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/8 "2005-02-03T19:17:34Z")
A 2.9? Piffle. My footsteps are at least that much. ---
**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/9 "2005-02-03T19:54:10Z")
Hmm, I live on Whidbey Island and didn’t feel anything this morning. ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/10 "2005-02-03T19:57:55Z")
I live on South Hill in Puyallup, was up about that time, and most certainly didn’t feel anything. Must be a real slow news day here if that’s all they can talk about… ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/11 "2005-02-05T03:21:50Z")
> [@Taters](#): > > I live on South Hill in Puyallup, was up about that time, and most certainly didn’t feel anything. Must be a real slow news day here if that’s all they can talk about… We had a 3.4 once. I thought it was a truck driving by. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/12 "2005-02-05T09:38:24Z")
I’ve never been in an earthquake. I’d like to, just once (for 20 minutes), just to see what it’s like. In the “Hmm. Better call somebody (Why?).” department, I had a fun one the other night. A guy called on the non-emergency line to report a very bright object in the sky next to the moon. A little bit out of our jurisdiction, but whatever. One of my cops went outside, looked up, and said, “Yep, there sure is!” We later identified it as Jupiter. ---
**Author:** ![Avenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Avenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avenger)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hm-better-call-somebody-it-felt-like-an-earthquake/288168/13 "2005-02-05T16:58:25Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > The guy I quoted said a mirror fell off the wall. He also said he was 'worried about [his] chalet-style roof, which was built in the ‘70s. [He] thought about running outside.’ Not sure what he meant about the roof, nor why he thought it was important to mention. I’m guessing a chalet-style roof is steeply pitched, and he thought shingles may fall off of it? So, glossing over his feeling that he should call ‘someone’, why did he then decide that the local news were the best people? Did he expect them to come see about his roof?