« “The San Francisco Roach is Generally German or Oriental in Derivation” | Main | Conservative New York Times Columnist David Brooks Nails What’s Wrong With Slightly Misinterprets James Cameron’s Avatar »

6.5 Earthquake Rocks Humboldt County

Trudy’s Sweets and Treats plate glass shattered by earthquake on 9 January 2010

Trudy’s Sweets & Treats in Ferndale, CA (source)

The linked SFGate article notes that no injuries were reported, but 18,000 customers were without electricity as darkness fell.

It calls to my mind the 12:29 PM 17 August 1991 Honeydew earthquake. A group of us HSU English TAs were meeting in a portable building on a hill. The rumbling started and the sides of the building started skewing back and forth by maybe 3 to 5 degrees. We looked at each other wide-eyed and, after about 7 seconds, took slow-motion cover under the tables. Crouching on hands and knees, we all wore wild, edgy grins. I remember David Reynolds and Jolien Olsen. I’m pretty sure Adam Shinn, Margaret Walker, and Julie were there, too.

Later, Darren Cooper told us he had been walking his pooch on the beach when the quake struck. The beach started rolling in waves like the ocean. The Louisiana-Pacific smokestack stopped puffing and, once the shaking stopped, it vomited a black cloud of soot.

Pam says, I’m telling you, we should go where the sea lions went.1

end of article

Notes
1 Apparently, the Pier 39 sea lions may have gone to find food.