7.0

Hi all,

Well, I have now been officially challenged on how I react to large and terrifying natural disasters--I'm relieved to know that I DON'T panic.

At about 12:40am last night, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter just 40 miles south of us hit...and hit HARD. For those of you who haven't experienced earthquakes, an epicenter that close means the earthquake is practically right beneath you. I was working late on some schoolwork, felt the initial tremors, and immediately realized that these weren't the minor "rollin' with the waves" type of tremors that we normally experience up in northeastern Japan and give no second thought to. This one was BIG, this one was going to be DANGEROUS, and it had "Oh, %$#@!!!" written all over it.

I bolted for Noah's room and snatched my son out of his crib. Chris met me in the hallway on my way to grab Noah and we stood in the doorway of Noah's room, waiting about a minute or more for the shaking to end. And shake it did--everything on Noah's dressers went flying, my 50-gallon fish tank sloshed water on everything within a three foot radius (we're lucky it didn't shatter), dishes fell, and my Japanese bar (which has rollers) wheeled crazily around the room on its own. Every picture in the house--despite the fact that they are securely fastened--was turned at a 45 degree angle. I still can't figure out how they didn't all fall.

Luckily, we're all okay. Just really shaken up from the incident and sort of tippy-toeing around, waiting for the inevitable aftershocks that always accompany such major quakes. Chris went into work early this morning to help muster everyone in the command and make sure all were safe. Apparently, one of the guys stated that the shaking was so strong it caused his fridge to tip over! Calls have been placed out to the Japanese community, offering Navy and Airforce response if emergency assistance is needed--reports are coming in that roads have been damaged and many have lost electricity. No word on any injuries or deaths just yet....I'm praying that everyone is safe and doing okay.

~Amanda