Living on Long Island, New York, far from any fault lines, earthquakes are a rare occurrence for us. However, the local news and my friends were buzzing with excitement when we experienced a 4.8 magnitude earthquake yesterday, originating from New Jersey. Despite the commotion, I was enjoying a catnap at the time and didn’t even stir awake!
This made me recall August 23, 2011, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck Virginia. At that time, I was working as a Database Manager at a company on Long Island. The tremor caused noticeable swaying of my cubicle walls, and the water in my water bottle had strange waves. We all stood up and looked at each other curiously. Our boss came out and told us to evacuate the building. As we gathered outside, a fire truck arrived and firefighters went into the building to conduct an inspection to ensure there was no structural damage. After receiving the all-clear, we returned to our cells— I mean, cubicles— carrying on as if nothing had happened.
While earthquakes may be uncommon for some, they’re no stranger to me. Having experienced them a few times while visiting family in Japan, the earliest encounter I can recall was around the age of ten. It was late at night, and I vividly remember lying on my stomach on a futon floor mattress, engrossed in reading manga (Japanese comic book). Being deaf, I didn’t hear my mother enter the room, but I felt the floor tremble as if she stomped her foot unusually hard on the tatami floor. I looked over in startle, but she was nowhere to be seen. Assuming she had left to bid our relatives good night, I went to sleep before she could return and scold me for being up past my bedtime.
The next morning, I entered the kitchen to find my mother and the relatives gathered around the table. I mentioned her stomp the night before, only to be surprised by her response:
Me: “Wow, kaasan*, you stomped really hard last night next to me. I’m surprised you didn’t break the tatami mat+ in half!” (* “Mom” in Japanese; + Most household floors in Japan are covered with tatami mats, which are woven straw on wood boards.)
Mom: “I never did that.”
Me: “I was wide awake and felt the floor bounce!”
Mom: (teasing): “Ah-ha, you were up past your bedtime? Bad girl!” (seriously) “No, we had an earthquake last night!”
All at the same time, I was in awe, confused, scared, and thankful that it wasn’t serious.
Stay safe out there, everyone!
—Tabby