The Haiti Earthquake

This kind of tragedy is the last thing these people needed:

A major earthquake struck southern Haiti on Tuesday, knocking down buildings and power lines and inflicting what its ambassador to the United States called a catastrophe for the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation.

Several eyewitnesses reported heavy damage and bodies in the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where concrete-block homes line steep hillsides. There was no estimate of the dead and wounded Tuesday evening, but the U.S. State Department has been told to expect "serious loss of life," department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters in Washington.

The precision of casualty estimates is hard to verify at this early hour but officials have put them anywhere between 100,000 and 500,000 individuals. If you have any family members in Haiti the U.S. State Department has set up this toll-free number to call: 1-888-407-4747. If you have any spare cash you can donate to the relief efforts you can do so through various reputable aid organizations at this link. Please help out if you can.

[Update: Who didn't see this one coming?


Pat Robertson should die of gonorrhea and rot in hell.]

The Earth Moved

Only a 2.7 quake tonight. It felt smaller. Damn, I was just starting to doze off too.

The Earth Moved

I was just finally drifting off to sleep when I felt a quick jerk and heard my house creaking. This one was only a 2.1 but the epicenter was in exactly the same spot (the map above is of greater detail) as the one on Monday. Is this good or bad? Is this last one another aftershock from Monday's 3.5 or are both of these just precursors to something larger? I'm from Texas, man. We never studied earthquakes, we were too busy doing duck and cover tornado/hurricane drills when I was a kid.

The Earth Moved

Just had a little 3.5 magnitude quake but it felt a bit larger than that, probably because the epicenter was pretty much right in the middle of Danville where I live. It was as if my entire house jumped a foot to the left, like a vehicle had crashed into the side of the building. Whoa, just felt a little aftershock as well. Earthquakes are one of the things I don't think I'll ever get used to here in California.

[Update: A little work with Google Maps puts the epicenter just a mile and a half away from me as the crow flies. As far as I know this is the closest I've ever been to one. And there goes another aftershock.]

The Earth Moved

Just a little 4.0 but it was quite close to me this time and I was outside when it occurred, a first for me. For those who have never had the pleasure to be present during an earthquake, your first thought is always "Where should I go?", to which the usual answer is a doorway or other reinforced structure. And when you're outside the thought is the same but it is quickly answered with the obvious: "Oh, I guess I just stand here". Definitely one of the more entertaining natural events I've been privy to.

The Earth Moved

Just felt a little 3.5 shaker; nothing to get worried about. I live just to the right of the epicenter, directly north of San Ramon.

The Earth Moved

This is pretty sweet. Just felt a small quake about ten minutes ago and within five minutes of the event I was able to create this Google map of the epicenter at the USGS government site (you can click on it to enlarge; I live just south of Walnut Creek). Merely a little 3.2er that hit on the other side of Mount Diablo, nothing to get shaken up about. The Internet is so cool.