Friday 19 July 2019

Big City Earthquake


Athens was shaken by a 5.1 earthquake this afternoon.  Quite shallow so it did a bit of damage.  Several old buildings collapsed and bits of masonry fell without hurting anyone.




Minor damage from falling debris


An old abandoned structure on the harbour collapsed but with no one injured

It's the first time in many years that I've actually felt that shifting of the earth.  I've been in several big earthquakes in NZ and in Athens.  When you're younger you just take it in your stride and carry on
 'well, that was a strong one'

This time we were sitting in our favourite armchairs watching the news and getting ready for a siesta.  The first shake came and I was surprised but not actually shaken, then a few seconds later came an even stronger shake and that one did scare me.

If we felt it so strongly on Poros then somewhere else in the centre of the earthquake the buildings would be swaying and the earth rocking.

The first was 3.8 on the richter scale, followed by a 5.1 and then a 4.5.   K was on the phone to someone in Athens and the line went dead.  Power was out in many districts and phones as well.  20,000 calls were made to Athens seconds after the second quake, more than on New Years Eve.  We were advised to use viber and whatsap to communicate with friends and family, which is exactly what we were doing.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post I was living in Athens when a 6.7 earthquake hit.  Even with a small baby I didn't panic.  I'm sure I would now.  I'd run out into the street like most most people do but well away from walls, old buildings and trees!

What worries me most now is that the children and grandchildren are ok.  I hope that was the major quake and there won't be any stronger shakes.  










20 comments:

  1. It was here in the news, I'm glad you're all right.

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  2. Everyone is fit and well! Thanos

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  3. Scary - I have never felt an earthquake. Glad your family is alright.

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    1. I'm amazed you've never felt an earthquake in NZ. Not living in the fault zone is good!
      I was brought up in the bay of plenty and we had some big ones I remember even now

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  4. I read about this early in the morning...so scary. Happy to hear no lives lost. Wow!

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    1. Biggest danger were those old abandoned buildings. Glad no one was hit by flying masonry

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  5. That would be so scary
    I’ve messaged my cousins who live in Piraeus and now all I can do is wait hopefully there will be no injuries or deaths.
    Stay safe xx

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    1. They must have had a good shake. Thankfully no serious injuries. The new govt can take it as a warning and get their act together, make sure they are ready for the next big one

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    2. I messaged my cousin on Facebook and he messaged back saying they were all ok
      I have absolutely no faith in any governments whatsoever myself. So I’d be making contingency plans myself But hopefully there won’t be another for a long time

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    3. You can't stop the earthquake and you have no idea what damage one will do when it comes, the only thing they can do is have rescue workers there as fast as possible. Also engineers to tell people if the cracks in the houses are making it unsafe and help if they become homeless. We'll see

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  6. Wow! Thinking of you and your family. Hope all the shaking is done and no "after shocks". -Jenn

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    1. I haven't felt any more thank goodness. My daughter who lives on the third floor shakes with even small earthquakes

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  7. A very lovely ex-girlfriend of mine was killed in an earthquake in Italy several years ago. I expect she died in her sleep as the whole building collapsed on top of her. Any mention of earthquakes always makes me think of her.

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  8. Italy has had some terrible earthquakes and those old stone houses are death traps. So sorry you lost a friend that way

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  9. I would have been petrified. Many years ago we were living in Tenerife and there was a small quake during the night (around 3.5 and centred out in the Atlantic). It was enough to make our bed shake and wake us up. My OH said that there wasn't much we could do so may as well go back to sleep!

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    1. Even a small one can give you a good jolt. No good for the nerves!

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  10. I was thinking about you yesterday. I once visited the Algarve and a tourist guide was showing us around Silves and the damage done by the 1755 earthquake. He said even today there is no way of testing if one is going to happen.

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    1. Those old stone buildings are unstable. They may last hundreds of years but you never know when they are going to topple, especially in an earthquake prone area.
      We used to have an earthquake warning system but I think every one finally decided it was useless.

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  11. Glad all are well!!!!

    But...

    Too hot to really comment...

    💧💧💧💧

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    1. Hope you can keep cool! I have 2 or 3 cold showers a day and now we are swimming again!

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