Life in Hangzhou - November 27th, 2005
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12:23 am
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Earthquake
Saturday morning I woke up when my alarm went off at 8:45. I laid in bed for a few minutes waiting to come fully to my senses so I could get up and get dressed. Suddenly I felt my bed rocking slightly from side to side. Thinking I must be dizzy with tiredness, I jumped up and looked out the window. It wasn't dizziness; my building was clearly swaying back and forth in relation to objects on the ground 16 stories below.
Later I read the news that there had been a 5.7 magnitude Earthquake near Ruichang, Jiangxi province at 8:49 Saturday morning. The BBC news states that it was felt in places up to 190 miles away from the epicenter. But I live almost 500 miles from the epicenter. So why was my building shaking? I don't think I want to be in this crappy building when an earthquake hits close by.
Apparently this wimpy 5.7 magnitude earthquake knocked down lots and lots of buildings in Hubei and Jiangxi provinces and it's likely that a lot of people were killed. If such a small earthquake does so much damage, what is a big earthquake going to do? What if it hits a big city center like Hangzhou? When it happens millions could die thanks to the extremely lax construction techniques used in China.
Current Mood:  nervous
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