Earthquake in the Carribbean:
‘The ground felt like jelly under my feet’
It was like old times. In Peru one always wishes for frequent earth tremors as that eased the tension inside the earth. When there wasn't any then we expected a big one and often.
I was correcting my end of term exams when suddenly I felt the house shake but unlike others we had over the past few weeks it continued and was getting stronger. I decided to get out. Just outside my door there is a water tank on a platform about 6 ft. off the ground. I stood near it but then I noticed that the whole thing was moving. I thought it might topple over so I made my way to the front of the house. The house was still shaking and of course I wondered if it would resist.
When I got to the front neighbors were also out, the ground was still shaking. It felt like jelly underneath my feet. That is a very common sensation. I heard glass break inside and then Br. De Lellis appeared. We both had experienced earthquakes in Peru and we agreed it was as strong if not stronger than many we experienced there. I estimated at least 5 on the scale.
After about 2 minutes it stopped and after talking to the neighbours we went inside to see the damage done. Vases, statues, books were all over the place, some broken but thankfully there was no structural damage.
After a short time I turned on CNN and it was given as 7.3 north west of Martinique. We can see Martinique from our house in Vigie. It is about 25 miles away. When I go for a walk on the Vigie beach I can see Martinique on a clear day and also at night we can see the lights of cars there.
The tower in the Basilica was damaged but I heard of no other damage in St. Lucia. As is usual it caused panic among the population. All rushed out on to the streets. It occured at 3pm. I went to the beach at 4pm and it was chaotic in Castries as everyone tried to get home to see if their houses were damaged. As I came back an hour later it was less chaotic but still a mess. Things have calmed down today except it's the talk on the media.
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