7.6 Earthquake !

The mad dash for higher ground right after a 2-and-a-half minute earthquake.












On Wednesday I was at the camp taking a shower in the outdoor stalls when my stall began to sway. I braced myself, thinking huh, we’re having a tremor. But then it didn’t stop, and it quickly gained strength. After about a minute I finally decided to get out. As I stood in my towel in the middle of the yard with conditioner in my hair, Colleen came out from her tent and grabbed me. We stood watching the camp, the ground all around us fluid, rolling like a boat on a wave. Our team leader yelled for everyone to head to the truck. “But I don’t have any clothes on!” I protested. I ran into my tent, dressed myself in the first thing I found as quickly as I could (flannel pj’s), and 5 of us piled into the truck, heading for the foot of the mountain.

The whole village had emptied out of their homes already. The road was littered with women carrying children, gas, and sacks of uncooked rice on their head. We got out of the truck and joined the procession up the steep, narrow, muddy mountain trail. People were keeping an eye out to the ocean for any signs of receding water—the predecessor to a tsunami. After about an hour on the mountain with no signs of receding waters, we decided to head back to camp. The local people were not going anywhere, though. After the horror of the 2004 tsunami, they were fearful and planned to remain in the mountains for a few days. Those who returned to their homes were going to sleep outdoors that night.

Once returned, we discovered that in addition to my shower escapade, all 3 guys at the camp had been vulnerably indisposed on the toilet when the earthquake struck (one fell off and scraped his knee). What are the chances??? :)