DC Earthquake!

I was in downtown DC when Tuesday's earthquake hit, and yes, I was terrified.

I was at the client office building, in a 7th floor conference room with a coworker when we heard a noise and felt a vibration through the building. She wondered if the A/C was acting up. I thought it felt and sounded like the ridges in the road as you approach a toll booth. It had a rolling motion to it.

It seemed to go on for about 15-20 seconds, and I realized it was an earthquake. We both stood, and as we did, the building started to sway. This is when I began to freak out, and so did she. The building movement seemed enormous. I wondered if someone had driven into the building and images of the building collapsing all around me flashed through my mind. It sounds dramatic, but seriously, I was terrified.

We ran to the doorway and folks were dashing about the floor. I heard someone yell "it is an earthquake, get in a doorway" and grabbed a second coworker to drag her into the doorway -- making three of us. That is when I realized I was holding hands with the first coworker.

The building continued to sway, and we felt a few more vibrations. I know now the quake lasted about 45 seconds. Stabilized, I ran to the windows to see if people in other buildings were reacting, and they were.

There was a question as to whether we should leave, but I didn't want to be in a stairwell. We sat back down and I posted to Facebook. Folks tried dialing loved ones, but the calls would not go through. The intercom crackled and we were advised to leave. I gathered my things and joined the exodus from the building.

On the street, I thought perhaps I should text my loved ones. It turns out my texts to Mom and Mike got through but I didn't get their texts and voicemails until about 24 hours later. I saw a spot on the Weather Channel this morning regarding the hurricane (seriously, what is going on?!) that cell service is often disrupted and using the internet may be the best way to keep in touch with friends and family. It certainly was true that day.

We were on the sidewalk about an hour, and then allowed back in the building. Within the next hour, the federal government had dismissed and traffic was a bear. I only had to walk a few blocks to my hotel, and the streets were eerily quiet.

I can't imagine going through this on a weekly basis as they do in CA or Japan, though I supposed you'd get used to it. I'm not so sure the buildings in DC are as safe as those in CA or Japan either.

With one natural disaster behind me this week, I'm ready for the aftereffects of the hurricane ... since I'm scheduled to fly back to DC on Sunday.