Most of y’all may not have heard about the earthquakes we’ve had in Oklahoma lately because there has been much bigger news like the huge one in Haiti so I thought I’d let you know about the excitement going on in my little world.
It started about a couple of months or so a go as a loud boom similar to the sound of a trash truck dropping one of those large receptacles. I looked outside, couldn’t see anything unusual so figured perhaps it was one of those pilots from Tinker AFB breaking the sound barrier again although I didn’t hear a jet going overhead.
Later during the weather report I found out it was an earthquake just a couple of miles north of me in a town called Jones. At the time I didn’t think too much about it but they have been getting more and more frequent and more intense. You folks in California won’t think it’s a big deal but around here a 4 point earthquake is something for everyone to talk about.
One time I was on the treadmill when two happened ten minutes apart. I stumbled a little and grabbed the rails because the house jerked. It felt and sounded like a big truck hit the side of my house. That one startled me pretty good.
I guess all those people that moved here from California due to the economy will feel more at home. And speaking of them, I saw on the weather last night that San Francisco had a tornado. It was a small one and never touched ground but I’m sure there were people that were just as frightened as I was over my little ground movement.
It’s funny the things you get used to and don’t think much about it. Around here we are used to tornadoes. We still get scared, don’t get me wrong, but if they tell me there is one in the town north of me in the spring I will carry on with whatever I’m doing because all Okies know that twisters almost always head northeast. Now if you told me it was in Moore I’d take notice.
Am I alarmed that we are having earthquakes in Oklahoma? Do I think it’s the end of the world? Heavens no. The earth moves all over we just don’t know about it most of the time. Anyone that has studied any geology knows this. It’s not the first event of this kind nor will it be the last.
Here’s a website with information on Oklahoma’s earthquake history. As you can see it can get worse and probably will that’s why I now have earthquake insurance.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/oklahoma/history.php
And here’s a website giving a list of tornado activity in California since they have had the technology to keep track.
http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/catorn.htm
And here’s a video of a tornado a man took in California. The woman’s questions are kind of funny. No there doesn’t have to be any wind to have a tornado and yes it makes a sound. Usually they sound like a train rumbling down the tracks or a roaring sound. Unfortunately if you can hear it you are probably too close. If that tornado had been a bigger one she could have been carried off but most of the ones on the west coast are pretty small.
Some people think Oklahoma has the worst tornadoes but according to this website it's not as bad here as it is in other areas.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/050322_tornado_season.html
