no one ever expects the spanish inquisition

[meitachi]

5.9 earthquake in VA this afternoon and I hope everyone in the area is safe. I haven't heard much report of damage or injury, for which I'm grateful. We felt it down here in NC but we're okay, despite being confused and unnerved; no one ever expects an earthquake on the East Coast! (Though of course it's not impossible.) Another sign of imminent apocalypse? A little early for the end of the world, Earth. Maybe it's a warm up for next year.

People from CA/other places that encounter earthquakes frequently who are taking the opportunity to gloat, talk about how smug they feel, or laugh at the East Coasters "trembling in fear", you are assholes. I'm sorry, I wasn't aware natural disasters (or people's reactions to them) were competitions.

Comments

[sharona1x2.livejournal.com]

Trembling in fear? Uh, noooooo. A little surprised, but that's about it. I'm used to blizzards, very heavy rains and flooding, not earthquakes.

I'm more nervous about another 9/11 than a natural disaster. I live between NYC and DC, near Philadelphia.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

God forbid people who aren't accustomed to earthquakes happening in their region (in over 100 years!) be a little freaked out at what is probably their first earthquake ever! Honestly, I can't believe people feel the need to act morally superior about an act of nature.

Yeah, I heard quite a number of places got evacuated because no one was sure it was an earthquake at first, since it's so rare on this coast. I'm glad it wasn't worse.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

I thought it was a really strong wind at first, because we get hurricane-strength winds at time and everyone was talking about Irene, but a look out the windows told me the trees weren't moving and I was like "...earthquake?" Very confusing!

[acornmama.livejournal.com]

I thought about you once my nerves settled. We felt it here in NYC. It was insane. Glad everything is okay with you, though.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

Thanks for thinking of me! Everything is pretty much fine down here, aside from people talking about it a lot. I'm really surprised by how far north the aftershocks managed to reach! Glad you're okay too though, and that overall it was more surprising than terrible.

[osoreranai.livejournal.com]

I actually thought it was a really enthusiastic hammering going on in the townhouse next door. I didn't really get that it was a freaking earthquake until my roommate dropped by my door and said, "Dude, we just had an earthquake."

And I was all like, "NOOOO, I cannot work in these conditions. I need to ask off." And I totally should have. But I didn't.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

We got a pretty watered down version of it, so to speak. I'm just glad overall it wasn't worse! It's so weird, though, isn't it? Of course it happens, but we are so much more used to hurricanes and flooding and the very odd snowstorm, not so much earthquakes. Or tornadoes, actually, and we had one of those earlier this month too...

[konnistique.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, I wasn't aware natural disasters (or people's reactions to them) were competitions.

Yeah, you don't say. :| I'm quite appalled that something like that actually happened. Then again, I forgot that ignorant people exist in this world ;;

[meiface.livejournal.com]

Thankfully that was about as bad as the reactions got - aggravating, but not as terrible as when they were tweeting posting after the Japan earthquake/tsunami, that it was "payback for Pearl Harbor". Oh my god, I couldn't even fathom how dumb and terrible someone had to be to say something like that alskdjfsk.

(Thanks; it was pretty minor by the time it reached us.)

[danii06.livejournal.com]

I don't understand how people can be smug over something they have absolutely no control over (this coming from someone who lives in a country within the Pacific Ring of Fire). Seriously, calamities have the potential to destroy everything and everyone you hold dear; it's not something you should wear like a badge of honor.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and for most people on the East Coast, who aren't familiar with earthquakes, being freaked out is not exactly strange, you know? Plus, because it's out of the norm, we don't have the same structural support/evacuation plans at hand, which means something small scale to someone who regularly experiences earthquakes may end up causing more damage. Ugh, idk, people. Thankfully the damage seems to be minimal.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

I'm glad your brother's okay! Yeah, traffic and cell phone reception got terrible but thankfully damage seems minimal all around.

And haha yeah, I think emergency kits are all sort of the same in the end: basic necessities.

[celerywench.livejournal.com]

Honestly I didn't find it that scary and not because I was like 'lol I'm a Californian and I've felt worse,' (I haven't); it was more like, 'well at least it wasn't a terrorist attack,' which was what I initially thought it was.

I was more miffed about the fact that in my hurry to GTFO I forgot to get my running shoes and a cute top, so I ended up standing in the heat in a black cardigan...

[meiface.livejournal.com]

A lot of people weren't freaked out (I mean, here, our house barely shook and for only about 30 secs) but a lot of people were - it's not their reactions, either way, that annoy me, but the people who make a point of posting about how superior they feel because they were from Cali or because they'd experienced worse and those poor timid East coasters freaking out, lol.

Those people need to get over themselves.

[tees2mai.livejournal.com]

I was just passing by to get to your fic master-list when I saw this. I live in VA and was in college when it happened, it was seriously surprising, basically my first earthquake! We taught there was drilling going on outside or someone was moving something on the higher levels until it got stronger ans our teacher flipped out and we ducked under the tables.

Luckily no one was injured at all but some people did get really scared. I was more shocked then anything and I don't think the fear of it sunk in at all. I can't believe people from places that have earthquakes often had that reaction because there are too many negative what ifs to this situation :|

[meiface.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you guys are okay and not too freaked out! I mean, it's one thing to be like 'lol whut' if people are like NEVER FORGET X I SURVIVED THE EARTHQUAKE OF THE EAST COAST XX afterwards because that's a little over-the-top (nothing horrendous happened, and we're lucky for it, so playing it for sympathy or drama is also pretty gross), but I've seen people say really smug/dismissive things in general at people genuinely confused/shocked/afraid, and that just grates in a lot of ways.

[tees2mai.livejournal.com]

No, I think most people got over it very fast, thank god. It was only while it was happening that it took a bit to sink in and then people freaked out but when we had evacuated the building, everyone was calm and just wanted the day off.

There wasn't anything about surviving here because little to no damage happened, we really just should be thankful more then anything and I totally understand that people were scared so dnw want putting them down for it.