Shake It Up, Baby!

[Mary A.]

I felt my first earthquake today. A magnitude 5.1 quake hit Detroit and surrounding communities today at 1:43 p.m. The epicenter was 500 miles away near Quebec. I was at work on the third floor of our building when the building began to sway. Most of us knew what it was, but it was still a huge surprise. I could almost equate the sensation with being on a boat. We've had a couple of other quakes down here over the years, but I never felt them because I was too close to the ground.

Have any of you been in an earthquake?

[Mary A.]

It was really a sway rather than a shake, but it couldn't be ignored. Funny, all of us were more surprised than frightened and just waited it out. We have drills at work for tornadoes and fires, but never earthquakes. No one had a clue what to do. I understand in downtown Detroit, some of the taller buildings were evacuated for a short time.

[Dave]

Some day i'd like to feel what a tremor feels like... i'll pass on the full fledged earthquake though.

[Willy]

I've lived in several places where major earthquakes have occured. People died and there was much damage. Your first instinct is to get out of the building but the shaking is so severe that it is difficult to walk or run. It is a scary experience and makes you feel uneasy about being in any building after that. The aftershocks can feel as intense as the earthquake.