4.8 quake hits Hurghada

Last night just a little after 8 PM, K and I were chatting in the bedroom when all of a sudden we heard a noise like a truck coming up the street, and the building began to shake. This might sound disconcerting, but seeing as how construction around here is so common place, big trucks rattling up the road isn't uncommon. But when the rumbling reached our levels and the entire room began to shake, it was evident that it was an earthquake.

I realise how non-chalant I must seem about earthquakes now. I posted a blog about the previous earthquake, and mentioned that after living in California they become common place. So for me, it's no big deal. Let's face it, if your building is going to collapse in a quake, there's little you can really do about it. There's no means of predicting them, it's one reason earthquakes can cause such devastating damage.

Last night's quake measured a 4.8 on the Richter scale. In California, this would still be considered a 'mini' quake and really nothing to be all that greatly worried about. But this is in an earthquake prone area, where buildings are built to code. Here that is not the case. Our building rattled for maybe 5 seconds tops, but just in those 5 seconds you could really feel the entire building sway. It's not surprising that the 1992 Egypt quake caused such enormous damage.

In Dahar, a suburb in Hurghada, many of the buildings are hastily erected and follow little to no building codes. Many residents are living below the poverty line and placed in these apartment complexes as a form of government aid. Not surprisingly, after the quake last night there was a mass exodus from these buildings with people milling around in the streets. Their calls have been raised to the governor, demanding adequate housing facilities. Bear in mind many of these buildings already had issues with their construction to begin with, ranging from using cheap concrete material, to burst pipes constantly weakening the fabric of the building, to little to no thought put into the structural integrity of the building. Thank God more damage was not seen around the area.

Panicked Hurghada residents hit the streets following the quake.
Image courtesy of Red Sea News. 

So last night's quake now makes 3 quakes to have hit the Hurghada and Red Sea in the past 3 months. That's more quakes in a 3 month period than have hit Egypt in the almost 6 years I've lived here. What is going on?

MSNBC reports on the increasing earthquakes in the Red Sea, attributing the tremors to the parting of the Red Sea. The African and Arabian tectonic plates are moving apart at an estimated 2 cm a year. These shifts are not, however, gradual. Earthquakes are the symptoms of this and all indications point to them increasing and not decreasing in the coming years. This means for residents of Egypt and the Red Sea in particular that perhaps earthquakes will not be the cause for concern and panic that yesterday's created. I can only hope that they stay around 4 on the Richter scale and we do not see a large quake to hit the area because it would be devastating to say the least.

In the meantime, read up on quakes and begin to understand what they are. Yes, again you can hear them coming. No, there's little you can do to stop them. Yes, it is normal for one person to feel a small quake and the person standing next to you to feel nothing. This does not mean you or your neighbour are going crazy. If the past year in Egypt should have taught us anything, it is that reacting rashly and with panic only creates further chaos. If you don't know the answer to a question, DON'T answer it. Don't spread your own speculations and fears as this will only balloon outwards and before you know it, you're "well maybe" comment has been cemented into 'real facts.' So please, Hurghada, stop panicking! :) 

Red Sea Earthquake

This morning I felt like I'd transplanted myself back a few years to when I used to live in California. At 9:12 a.m. this morning, the Red Sea was hit by a series of "mini quakes" felt throughout Sharm and Hurghada, with the highest registering a 4.1 on the Richter scale.

As is the norm in a country that isn't regularly hit by earthquakes, the rumours have started. It didn't take long for news outlets to begin reporting that there were experts 'predicting' that there would be another, bigger quake to follow the series of quakes this morning.

So, I'm here to blow open some of these myths about earthquakes, and tips on what you can do if you find the ground shaking under your boots.

Let's visit the first, and perhaps most common myth in Egypt, that experts can "predict" earthquakes. This is entirely false. While their predictions may seem to come true, these are aftershocks from the initial tremor, and rarely if ever exceed the magnitude of the first quake. As the U.S. Geological Survey says: "Neither the USGS nor Caltech nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake. They do not know how, and they do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future. However based on scientific data, probabilities can be calculated for potential future earthquakes."


Another common myth that accompanies earthquakes, which I myself have been prone to telling people, is that the safest place you should find refuge is a door frame. Myth. California's Department of Conservation explains:  The safest place to be in an earthquake is under a doorway. That's true only if you live in an unreinforced adobe home. In a modern structure the doorway is no stronger than the rest of the building. Actually, you're more likely to be hurt (by the door swinging wildly) in a doorway. And in a public building, you could be in danger from people trying to hurry outside. If you're inside, get under a table or desk and hang on to it.

I was told this morning by an individual that they had been told ground floor apartments were safer in the event of an earthquake, because you would be able to run outside if it struck. This fails to take into consideration two very important factors. One: The time it takes you to get outside may not be much shorter than the actual length of the quake, which are often less than 30 seconds long. Unless you're standing right by your front door, can you make it out of your house in under 30 seconds? Two: In Egypt we face the problem of buildings that are not constructed to an "earthquake code." This means that the ground floor is actually one of the more dangerous floors to be on, as the building can pancake in on itself during an earthquake. If you look back to the Cairo quake of 1992, most of the fatalities occurred due to buildings collapsing and panicked people stampeding out of buildings. The New York Times reported that over 100 school children were trampled as they attempted to run out of their school building. 

Finally, one of the hot contended topics is that animals can "predict" earthquakes. This is not 100 % proven, nor is it dis-proven. As dogs in particular are known for their sensitive hearing, the chances are more likely that they hear the deep rumblings of the earth long before we do. Often animals will seek refuge in corners, or under beds, but you can rest assured that they most likely know the safest place to be in your house. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) for us, Orien was sleeping at my feet this morning, and did little more than grunt and roll over. Very tense dog we have :p 

So, overall things to remember: 

No - earthquakes cannot be predicted. 

Yes - you should seek refuge under a desk or table. Check out more information on the "triangle of life." 

For a more detailed list of frequently asked earthquake questions, click here.