Earthquake

Earthquake in the NE United States..
I was sitting comfortably on my couch reading up something when I felt everything move and rattle around me. My first thought was that my head was spinning until I heard the china clatter and the chimes ringing rather loudly.. It felt like someone was moving my house with a bulldozer . And yes it was moving!! And the mover was none other than Mother earth .!. At 5.9 on the Richter scale, NE United States experienced an earthquake for the first time in a long long time.. !!

I stepped out and my neighbors who have been here for almost half a century were talking about how this was the first ever time they had experienced an earthquake in their entire life.. My aunt at 79yrs doesn't remember experiencing an earthquake her entire life in the NE.

Different people have different reactions given a situation.. and this was a perfect example of that theory . There were those that were frantically calling 911 and yet others that were calling their loved ones to find out that they were ok.. while some were huddled in their homes in front of their TV's trying to make sense of the whole thing and wondering whether they should go and hide in their basements.. And there were also those that were panicking and crying thinking about what could have happened had their roof collapsed on them !! Amidst all this there I was standing and chatting with my neighbors. It turned out , I was the only "previous-earthquake-experienced" individual in that crowd. This got me thinking ..unless we are hit by a situation most people don't take the pains to get the know-how about things and thats especially true for calamities..

Simple things like when..
1. theres an earthquake go out and stand clear of anything that might fall or if you are in a building get under a table or other heavy furniture
2. theres a tornado go into a windowless room or get down to the basement or any concrete structure closer to the ground or underground
3. theres a hurricane stay indoors away from doors and windows
4. theres a thunderstorm don't take shower or be in the water even indoors
5. theres lightening stay indoors or inside a car (if you are out and about )
6. theres a fire cut all sources of fresh air/ oxygen
7. theres an oil fire or for that matter and over heated pot don't pour water
8. you are chased by an elephant run zigzag and when its a bear assume fetal position

These are some of the common things that most people don't know and don't believe in knowing either until they are in the thick of the rut..