Surviving A Big One

It is a little over 16 years to the day the earth moved under my feet. On August 8, 1993, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurred approximately 50 km south of the island of Guam where my husband was then stationed. They estimated it to last between 30 to 60 seconds but it felt much longer than that. It is true what they say about your life flashing before your eyes when you think that the end is near.

We had just finished dinner, newlyweds living in our first apartment, waiting for military housing to be available. It was located on the second floor of the building, and we had started amassing furniture in preparation for the move. I was no stranger to earthquakes, I had experienced a few growing up in Cebu but they were nothing like the one that day. I was clearing dishes when suddenly the table started to shake, our television slid out of the entertainment center and toppled over. I could hear things falling and breaking in my curio cabinet.

It was instinct that made Henry put his arms around me and cover my body with his own. We were rooted to the spot, so much for ducking under a sturdy table or a doorway which is common teaching. Recently, I received an email from a concerned friend that indicated that if you cannot get out into the open, try to find "air pockets" in between two large pieces of objects or what was called the "triangle of life" method. I am sure that other people probably forwarded the same email; however, I also found the same text under the urban legend website and the article was disputed by the American Red Cross. Just bear in mind that "It's not the shaking that hurts. It's the stuff that falls on your head". Collapsing walls, flying glass and falling objects cause most quake-related injuries and deaths.

After what seemed like forever, we walked around to assess the damage. We were very lucky. The only thing that was rather painful was my Jesus Lladro figurine which broke into pieces. To add insult to injury, all medical personnel were recalled to the Naval Hospital so Henry had to leave. I was all by myself dealing with each aftershock; however, what kept me sane was focusing on gluing the pieces of that broken image together. I still have it as a reminder that life is precious. I had it blessed and I like to look at its comforting presence.

So what did we do? We settled down in California ten years ago where people are waiting for "The Big One". Hopefully it does not come within our lifetime, once was enough.