Wednesday, 5th March, 2.50 p.m. Here it comes again. First, the rumbling sound, then the tremor. I freeze for a few seconds. My son’s at school. We call them to see if the kids are all right. “Don’t worry, the children are all safe, outside”, says the head teacher. Then, I go online. It was a 4.8 earthquake on the Richter scale this time.
After two major earthquakes and more than 2.500 aftershocks within a month, the earth still rocks on the island of Kefalonia. Buildings have been damaged, roads have cracked, people have been left homeless. Fortunately, there were no casualties or serious injuries. It seems Saint Gerasimos has protected his people once again.
Most of us, in Kefalonia, have almost become used to the daily tremors by now. However, do we really know how to protect ourselves during an earthquake or have we just been lucky?
What did I do when the first big earthquake happened on January 26th? I stood under a doorway, holding my 6-year-old son tight in my arms. He asked me to hide under the dinner table, but I was too scared to let him go. Then, while the ground was still shaking, we ran together to the other side of the house where my younger boy was still sleeping in his bedroom. Again, we stood in the doorway and waited until the earthquake stopped. Did I do the right thing? Well, actually, everything I did was wrong! Why? Watch the following video and find out!
Which 3 things can save your life during an earthquake? Are your reactions the right ones?