6.8 earthquake hits Hualien!

A 6.8 earthquake is equivalent to eight atomic bombs going off at the same time, according to the seismologists. This quake is very close to the 921 quake which killed thousands in Taiwan. On Sep21, 1999, a 7.3 quake hit Taiwan and caused catastrophic destructions in many cities.
The epic center for today's quake was 25km from Hualien city, off the east coast, which is too darn close!
I was at home and at first I thought a bomb has gone off nearby. Our whole building began to shake violently and lasted about 30 seconds. I really thought it was going to collapse. There was no panic, in fact, it was eerily silent as everyone was in shock also. Nothing broke in our house, but there are many cracks on our concrete walls.
We are still feeling many after shocks and we could experience some very strong after shocks in the next few days. A tsunami warning has been issued and folks are advised to stay away from the coast. There are some down buildings, accidents, minor fires, and some injuries, but overall, we got lucky. A 6.8 quake could be quite destructive.
Frankie was sleeping over at her friend's place, and she said she wasn't scared. She just didn't know why there were white caps in her bath tub......

Folks who live in highrises had a pretty good shake, and may have to check their underwears...Imagine the diners at the top of Taipei 101? Quite a challenge to hold down those caviar and champagne while dining high in the sky when an earthquake hits.........

Despite all this, I actually slept quite well. I was quite calm and at ease during the quake. My only thought was: is this it? Is this how my life will end?

I had to pinch myself when I woke up just to make sure.......yes, it was scary, but nothing close to the turbulence which lasted a whole hour on the flight back from Cancun, after Jason's wedding. That was the worst mid air turbulence I ever experienced, it was like a freaking runaway roller coaster................