You forget about them, until they happen. Then, your whole body begins to shake in synchratic rythm to the tremor. Heart beating a mile a minute. Your eyes dart around at the walls, checking for cracks. You see flashing visions of toppled buildings and you quickly pray you won’t be trapped beneath the rubble.
You hear books tumbling from the high places in other rooms, dishes crashing, and you knew you shouldn’t have put them there. You run to keep the mirror from falling over–the one which needs to be secured more firmly.
Your cats panic and dart out onto the balcony. Instinct? They won’t come back in for a while now.
And when it’s stopped, your call your nearest and dearest and practically cry down the phone you’re so happy to hear their voices.
That’s what happens to me when we are rudely interrupted with earthquakes. The 921 quake instilled the fear of Taiwan architecture in me.
And I worry how those who survived much worse architecture than myself, feel when it happens again.
“The Mass Rapid Transportation (MRT) has ceased operations since northern Taiwan was rocked by the 6.8 earthquake happening at around 205 in the afternoon. Operations will resume after the MRT administration checks the whole system and assures safety” China post
I’ve been watching this topic for a few days now, certain there’d be a long thread of postings about the quake. Alien, you wrote so movingly about the experience, you really gave me a sense of what it’s like. I’m not there yet, but soon coming. I guess the LACK of postings is a sign that, hey, it’s just another fact of life. Maybe that’s a good thing?!
I’ve noticed since the quake I experience imaginary aftershocks. I feel like the building is shaking but glances at telling indicators - the tree that would sway, the water in the boiler that would slosh around - show I’m imagining it. The rub is that sometimes it really is an aftershock - there was a quite noticable one, if you were awake, at about 2:30 am Thursday morning. Knew I wasn’t imagining it because I looked over at the next building and we were moving relative to it. The really strange thing is I felt absolutely safe. I think my theory is, if buildings didn’t fall in the quake, the aftershocks can only be lighter and less dangerous. Crazy?
This is the second quake this year that I have predicted thanks to observing dog behaviour. Another quake occurred an hour after I noticed caged pigeons behaving strangely. I am going to make my next prediction public - Who knows, maybe I could turn professional!
CNA covered a story that I don’t think was picked up by any of the asswipes about a crocodile farm in Tainan where the visitors got freaked out when the 1,600 or so crocs all began bellowing at once and clambering all over each other for about 10 mins just before the 331 quake.
Alien’s posting is, I suppose, some sort of attempt at prose or a wistful, chin-stroking attempt at being literary about being in a place that shakes for several seconds during a quake and the profound (so I gather) experience.
Jeez, it’s an earthquake – get a grip. Everything shakes, some stuff falls over and there are a few aftershocks – whoopie! It’s interesting, but not that big a deal.
…oh, but maybe…
…as I was reading Kant the floor began to quiver, like a young dove ready to leave its perch of safety. Then it grew stronger like the deep swelling of a ship far from shore and without provisions… and then, like a sudden tempest, the very firmament which I had taken as a fixed and unmoveable stage jolted me with the sound of a screeching bird which interupting my very deepest slumbers.
“Alas, we will all perish!” I cried, as the earth and the dwelling that I had called home for all these months in this strange land shook as if assailed by the thunderings of mighty Thor’s hand.
Passing before I had time to realize fully that my fate was in the hands of a greater power, the earth’s rousings ceased and I was left in an uneasy calm – my body still swaying from the assault.
Oh, how the earth must grieve to rent itself asunder it such a frightful manner! And for my own part, I counted my blessings to have stood so stalward in the face of nature’s unpredictible fury…
quote:Originally posted by Alien:
The 921 quake instilled the fear of Taiwan architecture in me.
And I worry how those who survived much worse architecture than myself, feel when it happens again.
“Monsterous carbuncles of concrete!”
Earthquakes do that to you. They reduce one’s resistance to bathroom-tiled building exteriors. And give one a Prince Charles complex to boot.
Construction standards are what probably bothers ordinary people.
quote:Originally posted by sandman:
CNA covered a story that I don't think was picked up by any of the asswipes about a crocodile farm in Tainan where the visitors got freaked out when the 1,600 or so crocs all began bellowing at once and clambering all over each other for about 10 mins just before the 331 quake.
If the story had been about Lee Teng-hui and 1,600 of hus TSU bum-buddies clambering all over each other while bellowing like bulls, the Times would have published it.
What a croc …
quote:Originally posted by wolf_reinhold:
Passing before I had time to realize fully that my fate was in the hands of a greater power, the earth's rousings ceased and I was left in an uneasy calm -- my body still swaying from the assault.
Oh, how the earth must grieve to rent itself asunder it such a frightful manner! And for my own part, I counted my blessings to have stood so stalward in the face of nature's unpredictible fury....
Oh yeah, right…
Hot damn, wolf! You need to start a weblog! With writing like that, you could give Loady Gin a run for her money!
Has anybody information on earthquakes in the Taipei region over the last few hundred years.
Considering Taipei city in its current form is only fifty years old there is probably very little knowledge of the local earthquake risk.
I have heard that Taipei is built on a flood plain of sand and gravel and that the danger of liquefaction is very grave if a shallow quake was to epicentre near the Taipei basin. Due to the very poor construction of some of the buildings , old and new and the damage accumulated from the
recent floodings and the two recent major earthquakes which would have disturbed foundations we can be sure a disaster is waiting to happen.
I’m particularly worried about the downtown area where I recently experienced this first hand. Certain areas such as Badeh Lu, DunHua and Fushing
seem to have local fault lines or are built on loose soil. This became acutely apparent to me when I realised there was basically no damage in NeiHu and TienMu compared to Downtown. Considering the quake would only be registered as a 5 in the Taipei area what would happen if a shallow quake of 6-7 were to happen?
Imagine if the quake had struck just after the typhoon nari flooding, buildings would probably have just fallen over on their sides in ChungSiao, NanKan etc. What was ShiJr like I wonder. It seems to me the downtown area which has the most to lose is almost the most vulnerable.
I think I read somewhere quakes are very rare in
west from the continental plate boundary which is off Hualien and Ilan. Still Typhoons never go
from up the east coast spin around for a week and go down the west coast again do they now???
quote[quote]Has anybody information on earthquakes in the Taipei region over the last few hundred years. Considering Taipei city in its current form is only fifty years old there is probably very little knowledge of the local earthquake risk. [/quote]
Taipei has been an important city on the island for more than 100 years, not just the last 50. There are data on earthquakes in Taiwan that are older still. But the problem with looking at historical data to evaluate relative safety of certain areas is that people have been doing more and more developments (often shoddy) on hillsides. This is bad for not only those in the develpments but also those who live downhill. Hell, you don’t even need an earthquake to trigger a disaster of that sort: a strong flood will do. For that matter, you don’t even need developments, just some greedy, irresponsible fools denuding a mountainside to plant betelnut palms.
quote:I think I read somewhere quakes are very rare in
west from the continental plate boundary which is off Hualien and Ilan.
Most of Taiwan's quakes are off the east coast. But the western part of the island has them too, the big one on September 21, 1999, being but one example.
Taiwan’s deadliest quake was near Hsinchu in 1935. The strongest was in Keelung in 1867.
I had intended to write “Schopenhauer,” but thought him too obviously connected to the sufferings in the world, and, being wholly anesthetized by Coors Lite, I couldn’t spell his name…
Wolf, you are such a wart, I mean stalwart, I mean stalward, fellow. Excuse the above ramblings for I am in embryoated with your writing. I am at his minute sucking my thumb (wishing it were something else) in the fetal poz.
quote: But my wife and kids are going to stay with her family for 2 months this summer, so I hope that will help set a new trend.
Not too sure what you mean. From my experience, Chinese families tend to apply very little discipline to small children. We allow an acceptable level of rowdiness at home, but they are very well behaved in public
The topic started well. Everything was on track and relevant. But then...the earth trembled, perception swayed, and suddenly...it was all about Preposterous's beergut-punching Munchkins!