The Earthquake I didn't feel

Several visitors to this little Blog have show concern about myself and my family about the recent earthquake here in Peru. So I think I own them some words, and thanks for their worries.

You all already know what happened, last week the coast of Peru had the worst earthquake in decades. I was little but I remember the one of '74, the last big one of the zone, more than 30 years ago. Until last week all was peace here.
But peace is a bad adviser, and poor people is never prepared for disaster.
It was bound to happen, we live a very seismic zone, in the circle of fire of the Pacific, little tremors are normal, a little earthquakes are more or less expected from time to time.

However this time was different.

At 6:41pm I was going back to home, riding my scooter, when I stopped at a trafic light. But something was... weird. People seemed restles, and a guy in front of me was partially out of his car. Then I noticed, my bike was moving, a little, like rocking. I looked up and there was the confirmation: the cables and lamp posts were moving like crazy.

"Shit, and earthquake" I thought.
"And Sol (my wife) is alone at home with Olivia (our 2 year old daughter)"

The light changed to green and I started full speed to home, at least 15 minutes away.
At half way, maybe 5 minutes later, I stopped and tried to call home, but all cellphones lines where dead. No luck there, so back to the road. The earthquake was already over, but people where outside buildings, filling the streets, and trafic was starting to get really chaotic.

God bless my little motorcycle!

I arrived home.
Sol had managed to carry the sleeping Olivia and let go outside Jack, our beagle, and by the time I arrived, she was in one of ours neighbors apartment in the first floor, and Olivia was playing with theirs son.
Just at that moment I had some idea of how strong the earthquake had been, because I really didn't feel it more that some seconds... and not until the news starting coming from the south, the real price the earth asked this time was known.

So, at the end, appart form some fear and panic, some crooked paints and stuff on the floors, all was fine and well at home. Nobody fell the stairs or something similar.

But some fear still lingers, small quakes pop from time to time, some so light that you have to look to a glass door to see the reflection moving, others strong enough to make you pick up the kids and start walking out.

Other places have Floods, Twisters or Hurricanes, we have Earthquakes.
I just hope next time we are going to be better prepared.

Again, thanks to everybody for your kind works and concern.