Well that was an interesting day (yesterday). I was at home getting ready to go to work, when I heard the glasses in the cabinet start rattling, and the knives on the knife rack start shaking. There was this low, increasing rumble that sounded like the house was going to explode and I was truly scared to death. I didn't even think about an earthquake--I thought it was a gas explosion or later a plane crash. Of course terrorism is always in the back of your mind, too. I did open the doors and go outside, but it was so quiet outside that it convinced me it was something wrong in our house.
I would guess it lasted about 30 to 45 seconds. After it stopped I started to wonder if I had imagined it, and how would I try to explain it to Walt? I peeked in the basement to see if the furnace had exploded (it hadn't) and then I decided it must have been a plane flying really, really low. I was very relieved when I happened to look on CNN and see that an earthquake had hit Virginia.
After checking around the house to look for any damage (none visible), I left for work and traffic on Route 7 was terrible, as lots of people were leaving work to go home. I got to Tysons around 4 and the library had been evacuated for about an hour. Many ceiling tiles had fallen down, some parts of the lights that hang high in the library had fallen down, and lots and lots of books and audio tapes had fallen from the shelves. A mess.
Walt's office building in D.C. was evacuated and he left early--around 3--and did not get home until 6 because the trains were running slow to make sure the tracks weren't damaged, and so many people left early that train after train was packed.
I know that people on the west coast are laughing at the reaction on the east coast, but it really was a frightening experience for someone who never even thought to worry about an earthquake.
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