Virginia Earthquake a Reminder to Prepare for Hurricane Irene

FIRST PERSON | POQUOSON, Va. -- Today the earth shook -- literally.

I was going daily chores around my house when the floor began to tilt beneath me. That, in itself, didn't worry me. I get dizzy spells that often make me feel like the ground is coming up to slap me in the face. It's another trick of old age.

However, there was more to today's happenings than that. The house rattled and the noise from outside sounded like a subway or a heavy airliner had skimmed nearby. Fear gripped my heart tightly as the shaking continued for several minutes, making me unsteady and uncertain.

I knew instantly what it was even though I have never experienced it before. The house tilting back and forth could only mean one thing - earthquake.

I pondered calling the local news station to see if others had felt it too. Instead, my phone rang with my husband confirming it had hit him at work nearly 18 miles away. My son called shortly thereafter. He'd already checked with my daughter, which explained why her line was busy. She claimed to feel nothing at all.

My son didn't feel it, either, but he noticed that his dog was acting strange, making him to believe something strange had occurred. My dog remained asleep on the couch, blissfully unaware that anything had taken place.

It was nearly 15 minutes before news confirmed a 5.9 quake with an epicenter between Richmond and Charlottesville, Va., around the town of Mineral. The location is about 120 miles away from us on the Virginia Peninsula.

Even then, newscasters were more concerned with the shaking of New York City and Washington, D.C., than anything going on locally. Luckily, reports confirmed very little local damage. Examination of the tunnels under the Chesapeake Bay, that link the South Side to the Virginia Peninsula, showed no structural problems. The same appears true of bridges that link the same areas.

My husband's business had things knocked off the wall and the counter moved a few inches. My son-in-law said his Canon plant didn't even feel the quake at all. At my daughter's and son's homes, as well as my own, no damage occurred.

Perhaps the little reminder from Mother Nature's was meant to shake up the residents of Virginia. She might have been warning us to prepare for Hurricane Irene's possible landfall this weekend. If so, it probably worked. I know I'm on my way out to purchase batteries and water as soon as possible.

This time around, I want to be prepared.