Decently Strong Earthquake Last Night!

I was up late playing video games and getting ready to feed the orphaned kitten when the world started moving. Such a strange feeling! I woke Bert up and we sat for a few seconds feeling it get stronger and stronger. We both decided to head for the doorway to outside just in case. I still had the wee kitten in my hands!
The whole building rolled and bucked like a boat in rough water. It just blows my mind that things move that shouldn't move, like the whole building. 😲 The power went out for just a few seconds, and then some lights came back on. Some of the neighbourhood stayed dark. A few dogs were barking in the distance. Calvin barked once. Rui and Willow didn't even flinch! Cats, eh? 😆
The shaking stopped and it was quiet except for alarms going off around town. One sounded like an air raid siren. After a few minutes, there was one jolting aftershock, and then it all settled.
It was the biggest quake I've felt since I got here. Pretty impressive and exciting and a little scary. No damage here or anything. We're all good. 👍
However, there were damages and injuries reported closer to the epicenter near the border. Yes, the same border that I just came from by chicken bus during my visa run! Reports and pictures of damages came in from Xela, Reu, San Marco, and Malacatán -- all towns I had just visited a few days ago.
(Photos courtesy of Facebook.)

Xela. Makes me wanna rethink the whole "go outside" strategy.

Interesting to see that this building is traditional adobe brick underneath.

It's always extra scary when quakes happen at night.

A grocery store in San Marcos. Yep, that's booze!

A church in Xela. :(

Preliminary reports said the quake was a 7.0 but it was later downgraded to 6.9 or 6.8, depending on who you ask. Still, pretty strong!
I got on Facebook as soon as I put the kitten back in his box and powered my computer back up. Everyone was talking about it. Facebook even had a "Safe Check" thingy for people to report in.

I use these websites to check info for earthquakes:
EarthquakeTrack.com uses info from USGS but I find their page easier to use.
USGS (United States Geological Survey) has a neat feature called "Did You Feel It" (DYFI) where you can answer some questions for them about what the quake was like for you personally. They ask you your location first and then ask if things fell off shelves, if you had trouble walking, what you did during the quake, etc.

Check out this security camera footage! Notice in the bottom left feed, with the car, there are some white doggies running about. Eeks!

What should you do during an earthquake? Well, according to the U.S. gov, do not go to the doorway. Ha ha! Whoops. I didn't know! Don't they always do that in the movies?
Anyway, the basic safety mantra for earthquakes is: "Drop, Cover, and Hold On."
Read more info about earthquake safety HERE. 

Stay safe out there, everyone! 💜