As I was working in my basement office in New York just an hour ago, editing an interview I am about to publish, I experienced a very scary moment. We dont get earthquakes often in New York. We have a whole assortment of other problems in New York, but earthquakes are pretty low on the list. There have been a few where we felt a little rumble, but nothing like the one I experienced this morning. As I was writing a music article, my entire basement began to shake. At first, I thought my boiler had a problem, but then it got worse. I thought maybe I was having a heart attack, but then a few DVDs fell off the shelves, and everything started shaking really hard. A feeling of complete helplessness overcame me. I realized within a few seconds that I was experiencing an earthquake.
The second thing that came over me was that I was in a basement. The fear of the house falling on me and burying me alive hit me hard. I know that sounds very dramatic, but that’s precisely how I felt. I jumped out of my chair as the floor was still shaking, and I ran towards the stairs. As I was running up the stairs, the shaking stopped. I ran to my son’s room to see if he was okay. His huge dog almost knocked me down as he was freaking out. I went outside, and the birds were as loud as I had ever heard them. I still had no idea what happened. I started texting friends and family to see if they were okay. After sitting outside for a while, I came back inside and saw the news that the East Coast had suffered a 4.8 earthquake. It came from Lebanon, New Jersey. It figures it came from Jersey.
The last time I ever felt as scared as I did this morning was when 9/11 happened here in New York. That was a different type of fear for many reasons, but fear is fear. I understand that people on the West Coast experience earthquakes all the time and that what happened here this morning is common for Californians. But it is not for New Yorkers. I hope it’s all over. I don’t need any aftershocks, my nerves are already shocked enough
hang in there Brian…thanks for sharing this raw, genuine, authentic life experience. NY and Jersey are in our prayers!