18 Comments

I had to look up the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. It was reportedly a magnitude 7.7 or greater, more than 100 times stronger than a 5.4. Just in case you were wondering.

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Thanks for your comment, Paul. Yes, I knew what the 1755 magnitude was. But still, it was scary for a first-timer like me. -CW

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We have a similar emergency kit- one in each car and then our tornado kit with extra prescription medication, water, blankets, pillows, change of clothes, glasses and contacts and a few other things. We unfortunately do not have a basement and our house has no interior rooms so the downstairs bathroom is our “tornado room” and we end up sleeping in there many nights from April to July- especially the past two years. Mother nature is truly in control, but being prepared is so smart!

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Wow, what an eye-opening experience you had with that earthquake in Portugal! Your detailed account of the event is a great reminder that even in unexpected places, we should be prepared for natural disasters. I'm glad you guys are safe!

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Thank you! -CW

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I’m glad you’re both safe. Over ten years ago, we experienced a very “minor” earthquake here in the Maryland/DC area. At first I had no idea what was happening. But my son and I were standing in the kitchen doorway and knew to stay there (from years of visiting & chatting with friends who lived in California). We came out okay but some bookcases with glass doors didn’t. Hope it’s a long long time before you have that kind of excitement again!

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Thanks for comment and thanks for sharing your earthquake experience! We're hoping we won't experience something like this again. But we're still going to try to be as prepared just in case. -CW

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This is great information. This was our first earthquake and my husband and I both realized how unprepared we were.

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Two more ways to prepare:

1) keep a pair of sturdy shoes under your bed, due to nearby broken glass on the floor.

2) Know that the people around you will be highly disturbed and may act out. Don’t be surprised. Keep your own composure for the good of your family and neighbors. Here’s where a meditation practice comes in handy. Be the “Calm one on the boat”.

A good response is: “Of course you are terrified. You’ve just been through an earthquake.” It gives people a reality check which can calm them.

I wrote a one-woman play about Portland, OR’s earthquake experience and have researched it from all angles. I used to be terrified, but now with all the scary stuff in the world I’m more philosophical. I’m most concerned about Portugal’s housing stock and the ability of the cement and rebar building I’m in to withstand much seismic activity. Right now I’m looking into and writing about newly available and affordable housing that is fire and earthquake resistant. If you are interested get in touch with me. Portugal might be ready for a change. They did it in 1755!

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The post is really educational for anyone who's traveling to a place in an earthquake zone, the advice can save lives!

Your question about if Portugal was ready for a disaster - I think Covid was a great test of the level of preparedness of some countries, and many failed the test. When it comes to quakes, in Europe we all know if we live in a quake zone, or at least we should know. But I think everywhere we have construction regulations being ignored, and there is the question of developing an early warning system.

I live in Zagreb, we had a big quake in 2020, and then a bigger one happened in the region, and we still don't exercise evacuation as we should.

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Thanks for your comment, Gabi. What concerns me the most are construction regulations and the lack of oversight. But this isn't new - it happens everywhere in the world, unfortunately. It's a "kick the can down the road" mentality. As long as it doesn't happen on someone's watch. I'm not sure if any country is fully prepared for a major disaster. - CW

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Yes, true, the lack of any oversight or control is crucial. And it's all good until it's not.

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Thanks, Lauren! -CW

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Interesting and educational! Thank you

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Thanks, Maria! -CW

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Excellent resource, thank you.

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When we moved to the CA desert I experienced my first earthquake and the aftershocks. Though there was no damage I had many psychological aftershocks. When we moved to PT i failed to research the issue. Oops my bad

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You're in good company. We didn't research this either. -CW

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