Survived last night’s 7.1 earthquake with no injuries or damages.
Although we didn’t feel our first two earthquakes in Guatemala, this one was unmistakable. Shaken awake somewhere around 3am, at first we were unsure what was going on. Groggy one of us finally said earthquake. For what felt like minutes we held each other waiting for the shaking to stop, unsure of what else to do. (They don’t teach earthquake preparedness in Elementary School in Pennsylvania or Florida!).
Even though it was dark we were jostled awake with such force and could actually see the house shaking. When the quake started to subside we shouted for the others in the house and started to get outside but with everything still moving, only moving less, and things being so dark, progresss was slow. We waited for aftershocks which never came as neighbors began walking up and down the beach checking on people. One exclaimed….”I ain’t never seen anything like that before and I’m from California!” Worried about a tsunami, we sat and waited for awhile until sleep got the best of us. Unable to find any news on our radio, and realizing the worst was probably over, we cautiously assessed the house for damage (lost a few pieces of wall art and the toaster managed to make its way to the floor) and eventually went back to bed.
Power was on again by the time we woke up this AM and we even have running water. The Associated Press indicates that it was a 7.1 earthquake off the northern coast of Honduras, a few kilometers north of Utila, the island we visited last week. More information can be found at the USGS. We’ll check out our village and post pictures/video of anything interesting.
very very VERY glad you guys are safe. new reports is still warning there could be a tsunami.. be CAREFUL!!!
@Leah – Safe and sound, thanks for checking in! 🙂
@Nishad – Keep meeting tons of Londoners… have you completely taken over the city yet?
@Dad McKnight – We chose to stay put not knowing what else to do and knowing that stuff was falling in the hallway. In hindsight we probably should have tried to get out, but we were too scared to think straight. I think we only shook for 15 seconds, but it felt like an eternity!
@Em – One thing I learned from my SCUBA class, keep breathing! hehe. Thanks for checking in! Miss you!!!
Glad that you guys are safe, and enjoying yourselves!!
Holy crap I stopped breathing when I read this mornings headline. So happy you’re ok, be careful. Much love!
I am happy that all in your party are well. I can not imagine what was going through your minds when the initial shaking woke everyone up from a deep sleep. Do you run, do you stay put, hug and kiss, or say see you on the other side? A few minutes of rumbling must have seemed like an hour.
Glad you are safe. We were worried.
Grandpa David and Grandma Nette
Wow. Is there an internet-based map showing beaches you’ll be on versus “Tsunami-risk”? Might be good prep. I’ll take a look…
Nice to know ur safe.. keep having fun.. btw im going to Canada in the summer jejeje XD
Hugs and kisses from all the family
Hi Jillian and Danny! It was so great to meet you guys down in Belize. Did the Earthquake happen when you were still in Hopkins? Glad to hear you weren’t injured or anything.
Danny and Jillian – some basic tsunami stuff from your worrywart geoscientist uncle, before you fall asleep on the beach again after a 7.1:
From: “Tsunamis and Tsunami Hazards in Central America”:
…On thePacific, the Guatemala–Nicaragua coastal segment has a 32% probability of generating tsunamis after large earthquakes while the probability is 67% for theCosta Rica–Panama segment. Sixty population centers onthe Pacific Coast and 44 on the Caribbean are exposed to the impact of tsunamis. This estimation also suggests that areas with higher tsunami potential in the Pacific are the coasts from Nicaragua to Guatemala and Central Costa Rica; on the Caribbean side, Golfode Honduras Zone and the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica have major hazard. Earthquakes of magnitude larger than 7 with epicenters offshore or onshore(close to the coastline) could trigger tsunamis thatwould impact those zones.
Also, some general info:
“Be familiar with the tsunami warning signs. A strong earthquake lasting 20 seconds or more near the coast may generate a tsunami. A noticeable rapid rise or fall in coastal waters is also a sign that a tsunami is approaching. Tsunamis most frequently come onshore as a rapidly rising turbulent surge of water choked with debris. They are not V-shaped or rolling waves, and are not “surfable.” ”
“Tsunamis may be locally generated or from a distant source. In 1992, the Cape Mendocino, California, earthquake produced a tsunami that reached Eureka in about 20 minutes, and Crescent City in 50 minutes. Although this tsunami had a wave height of about one foot and was not destructive, it illustrates how quickly a wave can arrive at nearby coastal communities and how long the danger can last.”
And this is clearly the reason everyone needs a geolgist for an uncle. This way we can realize how stupid we all were to rush out of the house after the earthquake to sit on the beach….we done good!
@ Haley – Good to meet you too! We were still in Hopkins when the earthquake hit…thankfully nothing major to report.
@ Marta – Canada sounds great…hope you´ll be couchsurfing!!!
I’m glad u guys are ok!
Sounds like a doozie – glad you guys fared so well.