LITERAL Bumps in the Road

Yes, I felt it, did you? We had an earthquake this morning at 11:42 am. I was half-naked, getting ready to get into the shower and I heard it--sounded like a big truck. But the truck noise didn't go away and I realized that we were rolling around. So I hastily tried to get my discarded clothes back on, in case the house fell down and we were discovered later--a bit dramatic, but being half-naked at the time wasn't comforting. I like to be covered.

If you want to read about the official particulars, you can click HERE. It will take you to the US Geological Service. Interestingly, another earthquake happened about 17 hours before, near the Solomon Islands--we're not shaking alone.

To me, it felt like we rolled around, then it started to go away, and then it got bigger again. It felt like we shook for about 20 seconds--which is a LONG time!

I turned on the news, and the epicenter was near Chino Hills, north of us. Originally, they called it a 5.8, then on the news it got downgraded to 5.6, but on the internet, it's being called a 5.4. Whatever it was, I FELT it!

The kids were downstairs, watching a movie, and when I came down to check on them, they were completely oblivious to all of the shaking and noise. I guess being in perpetual motion saved them from the rocking.

I'm NOT a fan of earthquakes. Natural disasters scare me, but the inability to warn in advance of an earthquake scares me. When I see the potential for devastation, I get scared. I don't like them. Now that I have kiddos, I have to be strong and brave, so I won't freak them out, but inside I'm shaking too. All kinds of natural disasters can strike anywhere at any time, and the earthquakes here happen infrequently enough that I'm not suffering constant anxiety over the prospect of more. It HAS caused me to think of basic disaster 101:

*Tonight, in addition to doing our "disgusting science" and "chemistry" experiments that we were going to do for Family Home Evening (yes, on a TUESDAY instead of a Monday), we will also talk about earthquakes. We'll talk about what causes them, where they have happened, what they can cause, and what to do.

*I'm going to really make and implement a disaster plan with Robert for our family. We need to have and distribute a telephone tree, so that if a larger disaster hit, our loved ones could be informed--not necessarily by us. We talked about this when the fires hit, but didn't do it. We also need to physically go look at our water and gas shut-off's. I know where they are and how to do them, but I don't think I've actually LOOKED at them here in this house.

*We also need to get our important papers together and portable. I have most of this already done, but never finished it after we got back from the fires. I think it's a good plan to have a copy of all that's important stored with someone else in a different location. In this digital age, it's also possible to scan documents and keep a thumb drive with that information. Lots of ways to do it, but we NEED to DO it!

*I'll focus again and more on our Church's teachings that we should prepare ahead for disasters by having a year's supply. While we don't have the money or SPACE for an entire year's worth, I need to look over and figure out what we still need to complete a 3-week and then a 3-month supply. That is something I CAN and SHOULD have in place.

*Most of all, we'll hug and cuddle our precious kiddos and remind them that while it's scary, we're all safe and healthy. We know what to do when it happens, and if we are prepared, we don't need to be afraid.