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| The epicenter of last night’s 6.5 magnitude earthquake was in Jaco, 67 km (50 miles) from us in Atenas. |
“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”
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| Another of Tom’s excellent bird photos, two Green Parrots admiring each other. |
Last night, around 8:30 pm, we lounged in the screening room while binge-watching the final season of Mad Men. With time running out before we depart Costa Rica (9 days) when we’ll cancel the Netflix account (we won’t be watching anything for a few months while cruising), we were wrapped up in this delicious drama when suddenly, the glass walls in the room began to shake violently.
For that post, please click here., occur for Tom, this was only the second time in his life he’d experienced a quake, the prior in Italy in June 2013, while we lived in a 300-year-old stone house in Boveglio, Tuscany. Having grown up in California, where earthquakes frequently occur of varying magnitude, this was yet another such experience for me.
Although the house shook rather violently, I’ll admit, it seemed to last much longer than the typical 10 to 30 seconds as indicated next.
From this site:
“Generally, earthquakes only last for seconds. Strong ground shaking during a moderate to large earthquake typically lasts about 10 to 30 seconds. Readjustments in the earth cause more earthquakes (aftershocks) that can occur intermittently for weeks or months.”
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| Maxi Pali market in Esparza Costa Rica. |
Within seconds, Tom and I realized what was happening as we left the room to find a safer area in the house with less glass. Within seconds we were standing in a safe spot in the center of a small hallway between the screening room and the living room.
Once it ended, when neither of us panicked, we wandered through the house, assessing for any damage. We were shocked when we noticed multiple ceiling fans still moving from the shaking, none of which had been turned on.
Moments later, Tom said, “Let’s get the camera! Look at the pool!” Had we moved a little more quickly, we would have had an opportunity to take a better video of the water sloshing in the pool with water splashing violently onto the veranda floor. It was astounding. As a result, our included video isn’t as outstanding as it could have been if we’d had the camera on hand.
Here’s our video:
The property itself suffered no apparent damage. This sturdy, well-built house survived without any issues whatsoever. The lights had blinked off and on several times, but luckily (safari luck prevails), we hadn’t lost power.
After assessing the house for damage, satisfied all was fine, we returned to the screening room, checking our laptops for the latest news on the earthquake. Varying magnitude readings were scattered throughout the web from 6.3 to 6.9.
This morning the various geological centers throughout the world seemed to settle because it was a 6.5 magnitude. There were numerous injuries reported throughout the area affected by the quake. Luckily, Costa Rica, from reports thus far, didn’t suffer the loss of lives, although it’s been reported two or three fatalities from heart attacks occurring at the time of the quake.
From this site:
“Costa Rica hit by 6.5 magnitude earthquake
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Costa Rica on Sunday night, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. According to the USGS, the quake was centered 16 km west of Jacó, Costa Rica, at a depth of 10 km. It gave the quake a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 but later downgraded it. The observatory at the Universidad Nacional Costa Rica said the earthquake measured 6.9. Jacó lies southwest of Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose, and is part of the region of Puntarenas, on the Pacific Coast.
According to a statement from Costa Rica’s presidency, three people suffered fatal heart attacks that coincided with the time of the earthquake — two in Jacó and one person further south in Coronado. It said the country’s Judicial Investigation Agency was investigating the deaths.
At least one building in Jacó had been evacuated due to apparent damage, and there were reports of walls collapsing and objects falling in other parts of the country. Still, there were no reports of any further injuries, the statement said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered along Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, about 10 miles southeast of Jaco, which is about 60 miles southwest of the capital of San Jose.
The quake was at a depth of about 12 miles. The country’s Public Safety Ministry said there were reports of two serious injuries resulting from the earthquake but did not provide additional details. Electricity was knocked out in some areas as power lines and poles fell. Still, there were no reports of significant infrastructure damage from the quake, which hit a lightly populated place on the Pacific Coast. The government reported some rockslides obstructing highways near the epicenter. The U.S. National Weather Service said there was no Pacific-wide tsunami threat, Reuters reported.”
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| It took a while to get the passenger off the ship to load the bus to head to Port Hedlund, Australia. We were surprised by the steep level of this gangplank when so many passengers are disabled seniors. For more details, please click here. |