Quakin' in DC

At 2 PM the building shook and then again a few seconds later.  People poured out of offices and cubes with disbelief on their faces.  My first thought was earthquake, but that was quickly dismissed since this was DC, not LA.  The next, more horrifying explanation was a vibration in response to a nearby bomb.  Someone finally found enough composure to command everyone to evacuate.  We filed into the stairwell and then out into the street with confusion all around, and were joined by office workers from all the buildings in the vicinity.  Had this happened to every building?  I walked the 5 blocks to the National Mall to check on the Capitol and the monuments.  Fortunately, all were intact and there were no smoke columns anywhere within view.  A police officer confirmed that an earthquake registering 5.8 on the Richter scale had just hit the city.

Californians would be unphased, but to a lifelong East Coaster, having the floor beneath you shake in an unnatural way with an uncomfortably large amplitude, is a scary experience.  Fire trucks and police cars with sirens wailing sped by, but the fact that this event was caused by a natural phenomenon, not a terrorist, was a relief.  The next set of fears then set in.  How safe was my building?  What about the Metro?  I decided to call it a day and head home, on foot.  My apartment in Arlington, Virginia is about 4 miles from work.  A small fear of being trapped underground kept me out of the Metro and the beautiful summer weather (80 degrees with low humidity) made a long walk attractive. 

I made my way through southwest DC past hundreds of people waiting outside their offices for some direction.  Many were walking like me.  I stopped and shared experiences with a woman standing outside her townhouse.  She was an art collector and had many glass items that had fallen from shelves and broken during the quake.  Walking along the southwest waterfront toward the Jefferson Memorial, many tourists passed in the opposite direction.  What a story they had about their DC vacation.  The 14th St bridge behind Mr. Jefferson has a sidewalk that is protected from car traffic by a fence.  Staying as far to the right as possible, I kept hearing “On your left” as cyclists passed.  I was joined by many other walkers, unnaturally crossing the Potomac in ties, jackets, and dresses. 

Carefully negotiating our way across highway ramps, a few companions and I made our way toward the Pentagon parking lot.  From there, I found a way under an I-395 bridge and into my neighborhood.  The walk cleared my head and allowed for rational thought to take over.  There was no visible damage to any building or structure that I saw.  No cracks or evidence of falling debris.  By the time I arrived home, I felt safe in my apartment and a beer and an hour of local news put the event in perspective.  The epicenter of the quake was about 80 miles away in rural Virginia and the quake had been felt as far away as Chicago.  Washington did not suffer any appreciable damage; except for a few broken spires on the National Cathedral.  No one was killed and very few were hurt.  I’ll be more prepared for my next earthquake but I hope I never experience another one.  There’s a hurricane in the Bahamas right now heading for the southeast US with the potential for a whole lot more damage.  I’m not worried about that storm however.  I guess you fear what you’re not used to.